HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Roof Terrace

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission if he will designate the Roof Terrace a drink-free area.

Nick Harvey: The Commission has not considered this and will await the assessment of remedial action required before the Terrace is re-opened.

Staff Salaries

John Spellar: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many employees of the House earned more than £59,000 in the last 12 months.

Nick Harvey: The House's payroll records show that, at the end of September 2006, 92 House of Commons employees had earned more than £59,000 over the previous 12 months. This includes overtime and allowances for evening work. The number of staff whose basic rate of salary exceeds £59,000 is 86.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Draft Building Bulletin 100

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he will put into the public domain the responses to the public consultation on draft Building Bulletin 100, Designing and Managing Against Risk of Fire in Schools; if he will summarise the responses, indicating those which called for local authorities to be instructed either to install or evaluate the benefits of installing sprinkler systems in any new school buildings or within the plans for refurbishment of existing school buildings; when he will publish his response to the consultation; when he will publish the work commissioned by his Department from the Building Research Establishment on sprinklers in schools; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: There were 66 responses to the 12 questions asked in the public consultation on the draft of Building Bulletin 100 (BB 100) and a summary of these will be placed on the Department's website early in November. 74 per cent. of respondents agreed with the proposal that sprinkler systems should be installed in a new school if the need for them was indicated by a risk assessment. However, 58 per cent. thought that there needed to be more guidance on sprinklers than was contained in the draft.
	This finding reinforced the need for the cost benefit analysis study of sprinklers that we had already commissioned form the Building Research Establishment (BRE).
	However, we have since asked BRE to carry our further work on developing a risk assessment tool. We also commissioned consultants to carry out a study to establish reliable figures for the costs of installing sprinklers in schools. Their survey covers a minimum of 20 primary and secondary schools, and is analysing both installation costs and maintenance costs.
	Both these pieces of work commenced in July and should be complete by the end of October. Data from all of these studies, and substantive responses from the public consultation, will be incorporated into the final draft of BB 100. We expect to publish this early next year.

Higher Education Finance

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the timetable is for the review of fees and capping in higher education; what the terms of reference of the review are; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The then Secretary of State for Education and Skills my right hon. Friend, the Member for Norwich South, (Mr. Clarke) said in a written answer on 26 January 2004 that the independent review will look at all aspects of the new fee arrangements based on the first three years' operation of the policy. Details of the timetable and arrangements for the Commission will be announced in due course.
	The January 2004 statement proposed terms of the reference for the review which involved looking at three main areas. These are:
	the impact of the new arrangements on higher education institutions;
	the impact of the new arrangements on students and prospective students; and
	recommendations on the future direction of the policy.

Physical Restraint

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  which local authorities have guidance policies on the use of physical restraint in accordance with circular 10/98;
	(2)  how many schools in each local authority have a policy on physical restraint;
	(3)  how many mainstream schools have received training in the use of physical restraint in each local authority according to  (a) circular 10/98 and  (b) DfES Guidance LEA/0242/2002, Guidance on the Use of Restrictive Physical Interventions for Staff Working with Children and Adults who Display Extreme Behaviour in Association with Learning Disability and/or Autistic Spectrum Disorders.

Jim Knight: The information requested in these three questions is not collected centrally.

Pupils (Language)

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of each year of secondary school pupils have English as a second language in  (a) Ruislip-Northwood constituency,  (b) each London borough and  (c) England.

Jim Knight: The information requested has been placed in the House Libraries.

Sports Coaching

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding is allocated through the Learning and Skills Council to support the training and accreditation of sports coaches with the UK Coaching Certificate Programme and the National Qualifications Framework; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: We have increased investment in further education by 48 per cent. in real terms between 1997 and 2005 and our investment in both young people and adults will increase by 7 per cent. in 2007-08 compared to 2006-07. Learning and Skills Council funding is not allocated to support specific qualifications although the qualifications being developed in line with the UK Coaching Certificate will be eligible for LSC funding once they are approved. 'SkillsActive' the Sector Skills Council (SSC) has conducted a thorough analysis of coaching needs, including for the 2012 Olympics, which will help develop their Sector Skills Agreement (SSA). My officials have arranged for this element of the SSA to be published in advance of the rest of the document, in order to enable the LSC to prioritise this area of funding at a national level. At the regional level SkillsActive are working closely with the LSC and Regional Skills Partnerships to identify these skills needs as priorities and support the use of funding by providers at local level.

PRIME MINISTER

Political Memoirs

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister what advice and guidance is given to former senior civil servants who wish to challenge publicly the veracity of memoirs written by former Ministers with whom they served.

Tony Blair: The requirements placed on former civil servants are set out in the Civil Service Code and the Civil Service Management Code.

Political Memoirs

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 12 October 2006,  Official Report, column 862W, on political memoirs, whether amendments were sought to the manuscript of the Blunkett Tapes.

Tony Blair: I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave my hon. Friend on 12 October 2006,  Official Report, column 862W.

TRANSPORT

Airline Luggage Restrictions

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many representations he has received from professional musicians, orchestras and bands who have lost engagements due to recent airline luggage restrictions; and what estimate he has made of lost revenue in such cases.

Gillian Merron: The Department has had a number of representations from musicians and musicians organisations concerning the carriage of musical instruments in the aircraft cabin following the enhanced security measures introduced in August. Several have referred to cancelled engagements, although specific details have not been given. No estimate is therefore possible.

Driving Licences

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of driving licence holders are under the age of 25 years.

Stephen Ladyman: At January 2006, 10.87 per cent. of all licence holders were under 25 years of age.

Driving Licences

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many endorsements were issued by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to holders of foreign driving licences in each year from 2000 to 2006, broken down by the country of origin of the licence holder.

Stephen Ladyman: This information is not available from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.

Flooding (Railways)

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to insert a rock armoured toe at Dawlish Warren to reduce the impact of high water and flooding on the main Penzance to Paddington line.

Tom Harris: This is an operational matter for Network Rail, as the owner and operator of the national rail network. The hon. Member should contact Network Rail's chief executive at the address below for a response to his question.
	John Armitt
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	40 Melton Street
	London NW1 2EE.

Melbourne Marine Service

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with  (a) the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department and  (b) the Scottish Executive Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department on the ship-to-ship oil transfer planning application by Melbourne Marine Service in the Firth of Forth.

Stephen Ladyman: The information is as follows.
	 (a) Shipping is a reserved matter. The Department is in frequent contact with the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department on a number of issues, including this one.
	 (b) The Department has had no such discussions with the Scottish Executive Enterprise Transport and Lifelong Learning Department.

Metropolitan Passenger Transport Authorities

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on his proposals to elect directly the six metropolitan passenger transport authorities.

Gillian Merron: We have no such proposals.

MOT Computerisation Project

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the  (a) venue,  (b) meal,  (c) entertainment,  (d) travel and subsistence and  (e) other costs were of the launch celebrations of the MOT Computerisation project held on the SS Great Britain in Bristol; and from where the costs were provided.

Stephen Ladyman: The MOT Computerisation launch held at the SS Great Britain was hosted by Siemens Business Services. We do not, therefore, hold records in relation to the cost of the venue, meal, entertainment or other costs.
	The travel and subsistence data held by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency indicate that claims of approximately £680.00 were submitted which mention the SS Great Britain event. These costs may not solely be attributed to the event, however, as staff may have needed travel or accommodation to attend other work related events at the time.

Rail Services

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received concerning the proposed franchises for rail services in Liverpool.

Tom Harris: 13 respondents to the New Cross Country franchise consultation mentioned Liverpool services in their replies out of a total of 302. Views expressed included support for improved Liverpool-Manchester services, improved links to Liverpool John Lennon Airport from Crewe and the re-instatement of Cross Country services to Liverpool.
	34 respondents to the East Midlands franchise consultation mentioned Liverpool services in their replies out of a total of 1,305. Views expressed included support for the continued through operation of Liverpool-Norwich services, opposition to the continuation of these services from Liverpool beyond Nottingham and for services to call at Liverpool South Parkway station.
	12 respondents to the West Midlands franchise consultation mentioned Liverpool services in their replies out of a total of 218. Views expressed included support for improved Birmingham-Liverpool services, calls in services at Liverpool South Parkway and support for the extension to Liverpool of the proposed hourly London-Crewe semi-fast services.

Road Asphalt Heat Generation

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has assessed the effectiveness of projects utilising road asphalt heat generation.

Stephen Ladyman: The Highways Agency commissioned TRL to undertake a full scale trial of the feasibility of recovering solar heat from asphalt road surfaces in December 2004. A prototype system was installed on an access road adjacent to the M1 Motorway Services at Toddington and became operational at the end of August 2005.
	A fluid-filled pipe array below the road surface recovers solar heat from the road surface in the summer and circulates it to an insulated heat store comprising a pipe array at shallow depth in the ground. This heat remains stored in the ground ready for its recovery in the winter to warm the road to prevent ice and snow formation.
	Early indications showed that during last winter the road surface temperature was maintained above freezing on all but a few occasions. The findings during this coming winter, after a full summer of heat recovery, will enable the potential of the technique to be more rigorously assessed in terms of both performance and whole life costs.

Road Noise

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will instruct the Highways Agency to implement the installation of whisper-quiet surfacing adjacent to residential areas on the A47 trunk road in Peterborough constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: It has been the Highways Agency's policy since 1999 to use low-noise surfacing materials for new roads and for existing trunk roads requiring maintenance, to restore their surfaces to a safe condition. At present, the A47 in Peterborough does not need resurfacing. Regular inspections will identify if there is a need for resurfacing for safety reasons. Any carriageway found to be in need of replacement will be added to the programme of maintenance works and would receive low noise resurfacing as a matter of course.
	Ministers have agreed that the resurfacing of roads ahead of maintenance need, for noise alleviation, would no longer be allocated funding. This is the position up to and including financial year 2007-08.

Road Safety

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much central Government funding for road safety improvements has been allocated to  (a) Suffolk,  (b) Bedfordshire,  (c) Cambridgeshire,  (d) Essex,  (e) Hertfordshire and  (f) Norfolk in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: The following tables show the funding allocated to the local authorities listed in the local transport capital settlements from 1997-98 to 2006-07. From 2000-01 to 2006-07 the figures shown are the total integrated transport block allocation. Typically about a quarter of this is spent on road safety schemes, but it is for local authorities to determine exactly how much in the light of local priorities for transport.
	
		
			  £000 
			   Integrated transport block funding 
			  Local authority area  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02 
			 Bedfordshire 450 396 400 2,400 3,900 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,180 743 850 4,500 8,100 
			 Essex 1,588 990 1,000 5,000 13,000 
			 Hertfordshire(1) 1,042 909 1,000 5,000 12,500 
			 Norfolk(1) 900 825 830 4,000 10,000 
			 Suffolk 872 792 818 4,000 7,500 
		
	
	
		
			  £000 
			   Integrated transport block funding 
			  Local authority area  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Bedfordshire 3,100 3,000 3,200 3,350 3,572 
			 Cambridgeshire 8,050 9,300 11,814 8,200 8,662 
			 Essex 13,000 13,966 14,250 13,800 13,327 
			 Hertfordshire(1) 12,950 14,170 12,350 12,600 11,422 
			 Norfolk(1) 10,550 11,119 13,213 9,700 11,073 
			 Suffolk 8,150 8,250 7,745 7,350 7,578 
			 (1) Between financial years 2002-03 and 2006-07 Hertfordshire and Norfolk each also received a total of £1 million in specific road safety grants associated with the Mixed Priority Route Road Safety Demonstration Project. These allocations were awarded following a bidding competition. 
		
	
	Payments were also made to local authorities in respect of child pedestrian training schemes as part of the Kerbcraft child pedestrian training pilot project. All local authorities were invited to bid for schemes, which were awarded on the basis of high levels of deprivation and occurrence of child pedestrian casualties. Central Government funding for all these schemes has now ceased.
	
		
			  Kerbcraft funding 
			  £ 
			   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Suffolk 6,566 26,913 23,429 21,356 — 
			 Essex 6,738 29,998 27,788 25,476 — 
			 Norfolk — 1,504 21,727 25,703 18,830

Supply Chain Security

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the likely impact on British business of the proposed EU regulation on enhancing supply chain security.

Gillian Merron: These proposals are still under initial discussion by a presidency-chaired working group of member states. We are aware of UK industry concerns about the European Commission's cost benefit analysis and plan to conduct a full regulatory impact assessment to test its accuracy in the light of these discussions.

Thameslink

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to make a statement on  (a) funding for and  (b) the operational start date of Thameslink.

Tom Harris: My hon. Friend the Minister of State for Transport, announced the decision to grant legal powers and planning consents to Network Rail in respect of the Thameslink Programme on the 18 October 2006.
	Thameslink is an important scheme, and will offer real benefits in terms of increased capacity on busy commuter routes to the north and south of London. However, a funding decision cannot be considered in isolation and will be considered over the next few months in the light of the emerging conclusions of the cross-government Comprehensive Spending Review and the development of the new High Level Output Specification for Network Rail.
	The timing of the implementation of the project will follow from the conclusion of a decision on project funding.

Transport Finance

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of national income has been spent on public transport in each year since 1997.

Gillian Merron: Table 3.4 of Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2006 (Cm 6811) sets out total public expenditure on transport as a percentage of GDP for each year from 1987-88 to 2005-06; no separate identification is made of public transport spending. Table 3.6 of that publication provides a breakdown of total transport spending from 2000-01 to 2005-06 into various sub-functions, which include 'local public transport' and 'railways'.

Vehicle and Operator Services Agency

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) technical and  (b) administrative staff posts the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) intends to cut as a result of the VOSA Testing Transformation Project, broken down by grade.

Stephen Ladyman: The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) Testing Transformation Project will reduce the number of administrative posts by five. I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 18 October 2006,  Official Report, columns 1237-38W, with regard to the technical posts.
	The specific grades are currently being analysed site by site.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Business Rates

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 10 May 2006,  Official Report, column 370W to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles), on business rates, how many  (a) hotels,  (b) hostels and  (c) bed and breakfast establishments were on the 2005 Rating List for each local authority area in Wales.

Peter Hain: I have been asked to reply.
	The number of properties described as  (a) hotels,  (b) hostels and  (c) bed and breakfasts, in the 2005 Rating List for Wales, for each local authority area, at April 2005, is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Local authority  Hotels  Hostels  Guest and boarding houses (B and B) 
			 Anglesey 21 12 24 
			 Blaenau Gwent ? 3 4 
			 Bridgend 16 3 17 
			 Caerphilly 5 5 4 
			 Cardiff 48 9 25 
			 Carmarthenshire 19 12 60 
			 Ceredigion 24 13 69 
			 Conwy 143 49 166 
			 Denbighshire 35 10 33 
			 Flintshire 16 6 5 
			 Gwynedd 88 118 93 
			 Merthyr Tydfil 6 1 1 
			 Monmouthshire 22 3 7 
			 Neath Port Talbot 8 4 6 
			 Newport 25 2 12 
			 Pembrokeshire 86 18 143 
			 Powys 52 42 50 
			 Rhondda Cynon Taff 8 5 3 
			 Swansea 23 16 49 
			 Torfaen 2 ? 2 
			 Vale of Glamorgan 14 2 9 
			 Wrexham 17 5 4

Land Use

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will  (a) introduce a date by which all local authorities should be fully National Land Information Service-enabled and  (b) ensure such a requirement follows the New Burdens principle.

Phil Woolas: There is no intention to introduce a date by which all local authorities should be fully National Land Information Service (NLIS) enabled, although progress is being monitored in line with the planned introduction of Home Information Packs on 1 June 2007. It should be noted that all local authorities in England and Wales can now process searches submitted through the NLIS network and 97 per cent. of them receive and return searches electronically. There are no new burden implications.

Planning

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) of 15 May 2006,  Official Report, column 813W, on planning, if she will place in the Library a list of planning decisions approved and returned by the Secretary of State, and her predecessor, since June 2002 showing the name of the  (a) applicant and  (b) agent in each case.

Yvette Cooper: Decision Letters, which provide details of the applicant (and agent where applicable), for planning cases that have been approved or refused by the Secretary of State, and her predecessor, from 1 April 2002 to 1 March 2006, can be found on the Department for Communities and Local Government website(1). The details of cases from 1 March 2006 onwards are currently being uploaded onto that website, so information on these cases is being placed in the House Library.
	(1)http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=l143333

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) hotels,  (b) bed and breakfasts and  (c) hostels are on Valuation Office Agency's ratings list in each local authority in Wales in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Peter Hain: I have been asked to reply.
	The number of properties described as  (a) hotels  (b) bed and breakfasts and  (c) hostels, in the 2005 Rating List for Wales, for each local authority area, at April 2006, is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Local authority  Hotels  Hostels  Guest and boarding houses (B and B) 
			 Anglesey 22 13 23 
			 Blaenau Gwent ? 3 4 
			 Bridgend 16 3 17 
			 Caerphilly 3 5 4 
			 Cardiff 50 10 26 
			 Carmarthenshire 19 12 71 
			 Ceredigion 28 13 86 
			 Conwy 147 51 170 
			 Denbighshire 36 10 35 
			 Flintshire 17 6 6 
			 Gwynedd 90 124 96 
			 Merthyr Tydfil 6 1 1 
			 Monmouthshire 22 3 9 
			 Neath Port Talbot 8 4 8 
			 Newport 25 3 13 
			 Pembrokeshire 87 18 179 
			 Powys 55 41 52 
			 Rhondda Cynon Taff 8 5 3 
			 Swansea 24 16 50 
			 Torfaen 2 ? 2 
			 Vale of Glamorgan 16 3 9 
			 Wrexham 18 5 4

Wheelie Bins

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department has provided to local authorities on the use of microchips in wheelie bins.

Ben Bradshaw: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government have not issued advice to local authorities concerning the use of microchips in wheelie bins. However, a report by The Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), a Defra-funded body, references technology associated with microchips in wheelie bins as an example of ways in which local authorities can measure the tonnage of household waste recycled. The report, entitled 'Improving the Performance of Waste Diversion Schemes: A Good Practice Guide to Monitoring and Evaluation', is available on the WRAP website at:
	http://www.wrap.org.uk/document.rm?id=2646

MINISTER FOR WOMEN

Redundancy

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what measures are in place to help women who have been made redundant to find alternative jobs.

Meg Munn: Women who have been made redundant can, like men, benefit from the range of services provided by Jobcentre Plus, including access to jobs, help and support to find work. Advice is tailored to the individual needs of the people using the service.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Legal Aid

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many prisoners held at HMP Peterborough accessed legal aid in the 12 months to 30 September 2006; how much such aid has cost the public purse; and if she will make a statement.

Vera Baird: The information is not available for the following reasons:
	not all applicants give the prison's postcode as their permanent address which would prevent identification in data extraction; and
	it is also likely that many applicants will be represented by solicitors from outside the Peterborough area and identifying these cases would involve disproportionate costs.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

2012 Olympics

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  with which Muslim organisations she has had discussions in relation to accommodating the religious requirements of Muslims from abroad during the 2012 Olympics; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what discussions she has had with  (a) the Mayor of London and  (b) the London Development Agency on accommodating the religious requirements of Muslims from abroad during the 2012 Olympics; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  what plans she has to accommodate the religious requirements of Muslims from abroad during the 2012 Olympics; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, the Olympic Delivery Authority, the Mayor and his officials and my Department want to ensure that for the 2012 Games we understand the needs of all our communities including those of Muslim people, especially during Ramadan.
	Throughout the bid, and in the 16 months since we won, much work has been done to understand both the requirements of faith communities, and their views of what would make a successful Games. This work continues. Specific discussions with the Muslim Council of Britain on Ramadan have taken place this year and discussions are ongoing. Dr. Bari, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain is a board member of the London 2012 Organising Committee. The Muslim Council of Britain supported the London bid for the Games.
	We want to make sure we find the best possible solutions for athletes, volunteers, officials, workforce and spectators, and we will learn the lessons from other major sporting events held during Ramadan.

2012 Olympics

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what criteria she applies to accepting sponsors of the Olympic Games in 2012; which companies are sponsoring the Games; who was responsible for selecting each company; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: The London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) has identified six categories from which domestic partners will be chosen—banking, insurance, utility services (electricity and natural gas), oil and gas, automotive, and telecommunications. LOCOG is in discussions with potential partners and it will shortly issue invitations for tender (ITTs) in the banking and insurance sectors, with other ITTs following in the coming months. LOCOG hopes to confirm its first sponsorship agreement in early 2007.
	To host and stage the Games, LOCOG has a £2 billion budget, almost all of which has to be raised from private sector. Around a third of this will be through sponsorship. Sponsors are, therefore, a vital part of delivering a successful Games. LOCOG will also receive a proportion of revenue from the sponsors in the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) The Olympic Partner Programme (TOP), within the contribution it will receive from the IOC towards the London 2012 Games.

2012 Olympics

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much McDonalds agreed to pay towards its sponsorship of the Olympic Games in 2012; what recent representations she has received on sponsorship by McDonalds; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: McDonalds is an official TOP (The Olympic Partners Programme) sponsor of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It has been an official sponsor of the Olympic Games since 1976 and has a longstanding commitment to the Olympic movement. In 2004, McDonalds confirmed its TOP sponsorship for the Games until 2012. As part of the IOC's contribution to the Games, LOCOG will receive a proportion of revenue from all of the IOC's TOP sponsors but we do not yet know the exact amount.
	My Department has not received any recent representations from McDonalds regarding the sponsorship of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. My right hon. Friend the Minister for Sport recently met McDonalds to discuss their sponsorship of coaching.

IT Projects

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which information technology projects are being undertaken by  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies; what the (i) start date, (ii) original planned completion date, (iii) expected completion date, (iv) originally planned costs and (v) estimated costs are of each; and if she will make a statement.

David Lammy: My Department is currently taking forward an Information Management Programme which began in April 2005 and is due to complete in April 2008. The original planned costs were £3 million and current expenditure is in line with the planned estimates.

Local and Regional Media

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to encourage greater diversity of ownership of local and regional media, with particular reference to newspapers.

Ian McCartney: I have been asked to reply.
	Decisions about ownership of local and regional media and newspapers are a commercial matter for relevant parties in the industry. However, where mergers take place within the media, the Secretary of State does have certain powers to intervene to examine public interest issues that may be raised by such concentrations. Full details of the media mergers regime may be found in the Communications Act 2003 sections 373 to 389 (chapter 2 of part 5 of the Act) which amended the Enterprise Act 2002 so as to introduce the new regime. The Communications Act 2003 is published on the OPSI website at: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2003/ukpga_20030021_en.pdf. The explanatory notes to the Communications Act 2003 may be found at http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/en2003/ukpgaen_20030021_ en.pdf. Separately, the DTI has published guidance on the operation of the media mergers regime explaining how public interest interventions in media mergers would work in practice. The guidance may be found on the DTI website at http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file14331.pdf.

Sport England

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what role was played by the Minister for Sport in the appointment of the new Chair of Sport England.

Tessa Jowell: As with all major public appointments, I consult the relevant junior Minister. As part of the process to identify the new Sport England Chair, I asked the Minister for Sport for his views on the role specification, the shortlist of candidates for interview and the choice of two candidates recommended for appointment by the interview panel. Both the Minister for Sport and I were asked by officials for suggestions for suitable individuals who might be approached and encouraged to apply for the post of Sport England Chair. Derek Mapp's name was suggested by Officials.

Sport England

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister made representations to her Department on the appointment of the new Chair of Sport England.

Tessa Jowell: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister did not make any representations to my Department on the appointment of the new Chair of Sport England.

Sport England

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 16 October 2006,  Official Report, column 981W, on Sport England, whether the interview panel indicated a preference for either of the two candidates.

Tessa Jowell: The OCPA Code states that apart from exceptional circumstances, Ministers will be offered a choice of candidates and at least two should be put forward for each vacancy. In keeping with this guidance, the interview panel for the Chair of Sport England recommended two candidates for consideration. The interview panel concluded that both were clearly appointable, but each offered very different skills and experience and the final decision would depend on which qualities Ministers felt were more important to the needs of Sport England.

Sport England

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 16 October 2006,  Official Report, column 981W, on Sport England, who was responsible for drawing together the interview panel assembled to appoint the new Chair of Sport England.

Tessa Jowell: The interview panel was drawn together by officials in my Department in accordance with the guidance issued by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. There was no involvement by me or other Ministers in drawing up the interview panel.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many anti-social behaviour orders have been  (a) applied for and  (b) granted in Warrington since their introduction; and, by whom the application was made in each case.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 19 October 2006
	Antisocial Behaviour Orders (ASBOs), introduced under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, were made available to the courts from 1 April 1999. Since 1 June 2000, from copies of orders received, as reported to the Home Office by the Court Service, we are able to determine the local government authority (lga) area in which prohibitions have been imposed in orders. From 1 June 2000 to 30 September 2005 (latest available) one order was issued on application in the Warrington borough council lga, the main applicant being the Cheshire police, and no applications were refused. Following conviction for a criminal offence 23 ASBOs were issued in addition to the sentence. Such orders may be issued at the court's discretion, under its own motion, or at the request of the prosecutor.

Asylum Screening Pilots

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the findings are of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate pilot schemes at Dover port and Croydon including social work intake teams in the asylum screening process; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Local staff at Dover have developed excellent working relationships with the local social services team based in Dover. The UASC (Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children) Project, launched in February 2003, is a joint initiative between Kent social services and IND. It ensures that all unaccompanied asylum seeking minors, and minors identified as being at risk, are dealt with sensitively and are quickly referred to social services.
	The screening process in Croydon for unaccompanied minors, and minors identified as being at risk, incorporates an initial needs assessment undertaken by social services. Social services have the opportunity to arrange placements or young people at the earliest juncture in the process, and the outcome is that the needs of children are better safeguarded.

Bruche Site

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action is being taken  (a) to ensure the security of the Bruche site and  (b) to minimise problems for local residents following the ending of police training on the site.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 19 October 2006
	Since May 2006, when foundation training for police officers ceased to be delivered at Bruche, Centrex has worked to ensure that ongoing security arrangements are sufficient both to protect the site and to reassure local residents. These measures include a continuing 24-hour security presence and the maintenance of on-site and boundary lighting. Where local concerns have been raised, Centrex has swiftly addressed these with their security contractor to ensure that the site is properly secured and monitored.

Community Support Officers

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many community support officers  (a) were recruited by and  (b) retired from service with North Wales police in each of the last three years.

Tony McNulty: The available data is given in the table as follows.
	
		
			  Police community support officer for North Wales police force (FTE)( 1)  from 2003-04 to 2005-06 
			  Year( 2)  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 PCSO Joiners 0 8 1.5 
			 PCSO Retirements 0 0 0 
			 (1) Full-time equivalent. This figure includes those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. (2) Financial year runs 1 April to 31 March inclusive.

Community Support Officers

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police community support officers there were in each police authority area in each year since their introduction; and what the projected numbers are for the next three years.

Tony McNulty: The available data is given in the table. Police Community Support Officers were introduced as part of the Police Reform Act 2002 so data is only available from 2003 onwards.
	We have increased the funding to support the increase in numbers of Police Community Support Officers this year in order to reach 16,000 by April 2007. Thereafter we will discuss with the police service the sort of numbers and flexibilities they need for delivering and maintaining a comprehensive programme of neighbourhood policing. It is for chief constables to determine deployment.
	
		
			  Community support officer strength( 1)  (FTE)( 2)  by police force area as at 31 March 2003 to 31 March 2006 
			   31 March 
			  Police force  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Avon and Somerset 0 45 139 130 
			 Bedfordshire 0 12 40 41 
			 Cambridgeshire 6 57 86 101 
			 Cheshire 2 50 52 75 
			 Cleveland 37 77 75 100 
			 Cumbria 0 0 17 17 
			 Derbyshire 0 0 43 42 
			 Devon and Cornwall 19 51 74 74 
			 Dorset 6 8 47 61 
			 Durham 10 28 69 67 
			 Essex 10 86 179 192 
			 Gloucestershire 0 54 72 72 
			 Greater Manchester 160 173 269 251 
			 Hampshire 0 0 26 30 
			 Hertfordshire 14 46 98 139 
			 Humberside 0 0 20 20 
			 Kent 0 59 105 97 
			 Lancashire 77 110 161 184 
			 Leicestershire 28 41 103 136 
			 Lincolnshire 29 38 75 78 
			 London, City Of 0 0 14 11 
			 Merseyside 40 72 170 196 
			 Metropolitan 513 1,463 2,147 2,315 
			 Norfolk 12 33 68 65 
			 Northamptonshire 12 10 37 40 
			 Northumbria 0 51 126 129 
			 North Yorkshire 0 52 75 71 
			 Nottinghamshire 10 56 108 112 
			 South Yorkshire 14 59 124 121 
			 Staffordshire 0 7 63 70 
			 Suffolk 0 15 34 30 
			 Surrey 21 56 115 126 
			 Sussex 22 83 228 257 
			 Thames Valley 0 7 98 130 
			 Warwickshire 11 25 56 64 
			 West Mercia 8 57 81 85 
			 West Midlands 0 39 219 252 
			 West Yorkshire 70 265 394 462 
			 Wiltshire 15 23 41 57 
			 Dyfed Powys 0 5 25 26 
			 Gwent 30 45 77 76 
			 North Wales 0 0 59 58 
			 South Wales 0 59 107 111 
			 Total 43 forces 1,176 3,418 6,214 6,769 
			 (1) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items. (2) Full-time equivalent includes those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave.

Community Support Officers

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police community support officers were employed by each police authority in Wales in each of the last four years for which figures are available.

Tony McNulty: The available data is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Police community support officers in Welsh police forces (FTE)( 1)  as at 31 March 2003 to 31 March 2006 
			  31 March  Dyfed Powys  Gwent  North Wales  South Wales 
			 2003 0 30 0 0 
			 2004 5 45 0 59 
			 2005 25 77 59 107 
			 2006 26 76 58 111 
			 (1) Full-time equivalent. This figure includes those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave.

Crime (Milton Keynes)

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken to reduce the number of cases of violence against the person in Milton Keynes.

Tony McNulty: Violent crime of all types is addressed in the Milton Keynes Community Safety Partnership's (CSP) overall strategy for crime reduction, which is supported by a detailed Basic Command Unit Crime Reduction Plan. The CSP continues to target violent crime through enforcement, prevention, intelligence and communication.
	The CSP and police have put considerable resources into dealing with violent crime.
	The CSP runs an effective Joint Tasking and Co-ordinating Group that ensures a multi-agency approach to tackling a range of crime problems. It has a delivery group charged specifically with reducing violence, and has secured funding to reduce racial harassment. The local Racial Equality Council is delivering this work on the CSP's behalf.
	The police have a dedicated Public Protection Unit dealing with domestic violence, predatory offenders and serious child abuse. With probation and other partners, they also participate in a multi-agency public protection arrangement to monitor the most dangerous offenders. The most serious violent crimes are investigated by the CID in the Basic Command Unit, and a detective will attend and deal with any robbery offence reported.
	Milton Keynes has a vibrant night-time economy, with large numbers of people attracted to the city by its entertainment and leisure facilities. There are a number of initiatives designed to make the city centre a safer place.
	The police's Operation Debus ensures that resources are deployed to provide a visible presence in hotspot areas and at the times when offences are most likely to occur. The police use Fixed Penalty Notices to intervene at an early stage and prevent escalation of violence. The police issued 378 Fixed Penalty Notices for Public Order Act offences between April 2006 and September 2006.
	Operation Hangover brings together the resources of Milton Keynes's Licensing and Trading Standards departments and the police to tackle the antisocial behaviour associated with excessive alcohol consumption. To support this both the council and the Thames Valley police have put a lot of effort into communication with license holders about their new responsibilities under the Licensing Act 2003.
	At a national level, the Home Office introduced the Respect Action Plan in January 2006 to reduce antisocial behaviour. The Violent Crime Bill is currently before Parliament. It contains measures to tackle binge-drinking and tackle the harm caused by weapons. Under the Criminal Justice Act 2003, a new range of tougher sentences became available for offences committed after 5 April 2005: special 'public protection'
	sentences are available for those convicted of violent offences and assessed as dangerous.

Departmental Legal Advisers

Edward O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what policies and procedures are applicable to his Department's legal advisers  (a) to ensure that work which is outside their expertise and experience is not undertaken by them and  (b) for monitoring and assessing the performance of their work.

Tony McNulty: Home Office Legal Adviser's Branch advises the Home Office on legal issues arising in all aspects of its work. The Branch consists of some 50 lawyers organised into teams of varying sizes, each specialising in different areas of law and policy. In the course of their career in the Home Office, lawyers will usually work in several teams and gain experience in areas of law relevant to the Home Office's work (as well as experience of other areas of public law if they move on temporary secondment or loan to other Government Departments).
	Each team in the Legal Adviser's Branch is headed by a senior lawyer, part of whose task is to guide and supervise the work of more junior members of his or her team. From time to time, where appropriate having regard to the sensitivity, complexity or novelty of an issue, specialist legal advice is obtained from members of the bar (who are selected from a panel appointed by the Attorney-General), from solicitors in private practice (drawn from a list of firms approved by the Treasury Solicitor) or from lawyers in other Government Departments.
	All lawyers employed in the Home Office Legal Adviser's Branch hold current professional legal qualifications, and must continue to satisfy the post-qualifying and continuing legal education requirements of their branch of the legal profession. Training courses are available to them through the Government Legal Service as well as through commercial training providers. The Legal Adviser's Branch also runs a series of in- house seminars and training events on matters of current interest.
	In addition, as civil servants, members of Home Office Legal Adviser's Branch receive regular reports and assessments on their professional competence and development, in accordance with Cabinet Office and Home Office guidance. Formal reports take place annually and semi- annually, and less formal mentoring and training takes place on a continuing basis.
	The Home Office Legal Adviser's Branch is part of the Government Legal Service. The arrangements described above reflect those in place in other major departments in Whitehall.

Firearms (Amendment) Act

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will bring forward legislation to exempt from the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997 those Olympic participants in pistol shooting events to enable them to practise for the events in the UK; what recent representations he has received  (a) supporting and  (b) opposing amending the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997 for this purpose; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: We have received representations from various shooting organisations in favour of allowing British target pistol shooters to practise in this country in the build-up to the London Olympics and a small amount of correspondence both for and against such a move. Our view is that pistol shooting events can take place at the Olympics without the need to change the legislation, using the Home Secretary's existing powers under section five of the Firearms Act 1968. These powers can also be used to allow a small number of potential medal winners to practise ahead of the Games and we have agreed in principle to explore how this might be achieved without endangering public safety. I have no current intention of amending the legislation.

Illegal Immigration

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the cost to public funds of establishing 24-hour security at UK ports to tackle illegal immigration.

Liam Byrne: There are 35 air, sea and rail points of entry in the UK and in juxtaposed locations, which, by virtue of the nature and frequency of traffic and the numbers of passengers requiring leave to enter, have an immigration official presence 24 hours a day or during operating hours. All other ports of entry are attended to cover scheduled services, or on a risk assessed basis, or in response to specific intelligence.
	Initial indicative costings for the staffing of all UK ports, including small ports, 24 hours a day suggest that the additional cost could be in excess of £104 million.

Islam Roadshow

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who the participants have been in the roadshow on Islam established after the 7 July bombings; what costs have been incurred by the roadshow; how many visits it has carried out; and what locations it has visited.

Kim Howells: I have been asked to reply.
	The list of participants and locations of the roadshows, that were established as a result of the "Preventing Extremism Together" working groups after the attacks of 7 July, is available on the roadshow website at: www.radicalmiddleway.co.uk The roadshow has incurred total costs of £350,000.

Parliament Square Demonstration

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of people who attended the demonstration in Parliament square on 9 October 2006; how many police officers were present; how many  (a) women and  (b) men were arrested; whether permission was granted beforehand for the demonstration to take place in Parliament square; what the cost was of policing the demonstration; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is not yet available. I will write to the hon. Gentleman when it has been collated by the Metropolitan police.

Police

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total cost was of the recent opinion poll undertaken by Market Research UK and commissioned by Humberside police; how many other forces have commissioned similar opinion polls; and how much has been spent by the police in England and Wales on such polling in the last 12 months.

Tony McNulty: This is a matter for Humberside police force and the Humberside police authority.

Police

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions his Department has had with Cambridgeshire Police Authority on refunding from central budgets costs associated with the aborted merger proposals between Cambridgeshire Constabulary with  (a) Norfolk and  (b) Suffolk Constabulary in (i) 2005-06 and (ii) 2006-07; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: On 24 July the Home Office invited Cambridgeshire constabulary and Cambridgeshire police authority, along with all the other police forces and authorities in England and Wales, to submit claims for assistance with the additional costs they had incurred on the preparations for mergers. Neither the terms of this invitation nor the detailed claim which Cambridgeshire constabulary and police authority submitted on 31 August distinguish between specific merger options or the year in which particular costs were incurred. We expect to make an announcement shortly on how much of the claims will be reimbursed.

Police

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many full-time equivalent civilian employees of North Wales police there were on the last day of each of the last five financial years.

Tony McNulty: The available data is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Police staff( 1)  strength for North Wales police force (FTE)( 2)  as at 31 March 2002 to 31 March 2006 
			  Year ending 31 March:  Number 
			 2002 645 
			 2003 703 
			 2004 849 
			 2005 867 
			 2006 882 
			 (1) Police staff exclude police community support officers and traffic wardens.  (2) Full-time equivalent. This figure includes those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave.

Police

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria Thames Valley police uses for the setting of the total resource allocation formula.

Tony McNulty: This is an operational matter for the chief constable of Thames Valley police.

Police

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police stations in  (a) Welwyn Hatfield constituency and  (b) the Eastern region closed in the latest period for which figures are available.

Tony McNulty: The management of the police estate and allocation of resources are matters for each police authority and the chief officer, who are responsible for assessing local needs.
	
		
			  Police stations opened and closed in the Welwyn Hatfield constituency and ACPO Eastern region between March 2005 and March 2006 
			  Number 
			   Opened  Closed  Total 
			  (a) Welwyn Hatfield Constituency 0 0 2 
			  (b) Eastern Region 3 7 182 
			  Note:  Eastern region includes: Bedfordshire Cambridgeshire Essex Hertfordshire Norfolk Suffolk.

Probation Officers

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many current trainee probation officers will be offered full-time contracts in 2006-07.

Tony McNulty: Of the 713 trainees who have or are about to qualify this year, all who are eligible have been already offered employment with areas. There are three in North Wales where firm offers of employment remain under discussion.

Rape

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research his Department has undertaken into the reasons for the levels of conviction rates in rape cases.

Tony McNulty: The Home Office commissioned a research study which aimed to explore the factors associated with attrition in rape cases. The findings from the research have been published and a copy of the report can be found online on the Home Office Science, Research and Statistics publication website. The report is called: Gap or Chasm? Attrition in reported rape cases (2005). Kelly, L., Lovett, J. and Regan, L. Home Office Research Study 293.
	The Home Office has also undertaken a research project which aims to gain a deeper insight into police investigative practices and levels of detection in relation to sexual violence. This research is planned to be published in early 2007.

Sonic Teenager Deterrent

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether his Department has ever recommended the use of the sonic teenager deterrent to  (a) police forces and  (b) local authorities as a method of controlling the assembly of young people;
	(2)  what guidance his Department has produced for  (a) police forces and  (b) local authorities on the use of the sonic teenager deterrent;
	(3)  how many  (a) police forces and  (b) local authorities use the sonic teenager deterrent as a method of controlling the assembly of young people in certain areas;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of the potential implications of the Human Rights Act 1998 for the use of the Sonic Teenager Deterrent by police forces and local authorities.

Tony McNulty: holding answers 18 and 19 October 2006
	We encourage local agencies to consider the full range of innovations, schemes and practices intended to reduce crime, the fear of crime and antisocial behaviour. It is for local agencies like the police and local authorities to decide on the most appropriate interventions to tackle antisocial behaviour based on their knowledge of what works best locally.
	We do encourage agencies to adopt a tiered approach with a blend of measures to provide a proportionate response. The Home Office does not promote or recommend any particular commercial product or venture above this.
	The Home Office has not produced guidance for police and local authorities on the use of the sonic teenager deterrent.
	The use of any device like the sonic teenager deterrent which claims to disperse groups of young people should be treated with caution and if used should form part of an overall strategy to tackle the drivers of that antisocial behaviour and to encourage more constructive behaviour.

Terrorism

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of those detained without charge under anti-terrorist legislation and subsequently released have later been charged with terrorist offences.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 19 October 2006
	The Home Office does not routinely collate this information and accordingly the information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Wildlife Crime

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to improve the recording of wildlife crime.

Tony McNulty: Non-notifiable wildlife crime and wildlife incidents are recorded under the National Standard for Incident Recording (NSIR), which is being implemented by police forces during 2006-07. This is in addition to notifiable wildlife crimes, which continue to be recorded under the National Crime Recording Standard. This standard recording of all wildlife crime and incidents represents a significant step forward as previously only the recording of a limited number of notifiable wildlife crimes was nationally mandated and defined.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Carers Allowance

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what entitlement people receiving state pensions have to carers' allowance; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 16 October 2006
	People receiving a state pension are entitled to carer's allowance if they satisfy the usual conditions of entitlement. However, since both benefits serve the same purpose of providing a measure of income replacement, they cannot both be paid in full. In practice, the state pension takes precedence as the contributory benefit and is paid in full while only the balance of any carer's allowance is paid if it exceeds the state pension.
	Although this often means that carer's allowance is not paid at all, since 2002 the underlying entitlement to the benefit gives access to the carer's additional amount of £26.35 a week in pension credit and to the carer premium of the same amount in income support, housing benefit and council tax benefit.

Departmental Vehicles

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many vehicles are operated by his Department, broken down by make and model.

Anne McGuire: The Department currently operates 2,449 vehicles and the breakdown by make and model is shown in the following table.
	These vehicles are purchased under a competitively led DWP framework agreement to ensure value for money. The Department has recently led a procurement for a new Government-wide framework that will commence in December.
	
		
			  DWP Vehicles Operated by Make and Model— October 2006 
			  Vehicle Make  Vehicle Model  Number 
			 Citroen Berlingo 1 
			 Citroen C3 33 
			 Citroen C4 18 
			 Citroen C5 29 
			 Citroen Dispatch 1 
			 Citroen Relay 3 
			 Citroen Saxo 7 
			 Citroen Xantia 1 
			 Citroen Xsara 40 
			 Fiat Brava 3 
			 Fiat Ducato 22 
			 Fiat Marea 1 
			 Fiat Multipla 1 
			 Fiat Punto 5 
			 Fiat Scudo 3 
			 Ford Stilo 3 
			 Ford Escort 3 
			 Ford Fiesta 22 
			 Ford Focus 162 
			 Ford Galaxy 6 
			 Ford Iveco 4 
			 Ford Mondeo 107 
			 Ford Transit 9 
			 Honda CBR 4 
			 Honda VFR 5 
			 Mercedes Sprinter 7 
			 Mercedes 814 Chassis 1 
			 Mercedes Vito 1 
			 Mobile unit Mobile unit 2 
			 Nissan Almera 5 
			 Nissan Primera 16 
			 Peugeot 106 2 
			 Peugeot 205 1 
			 Peugeot 206 59 
			 Peugeot 306 5 
			 Peugeot 307 292 
			 Peugeot 406 30 
			 Peugeot 407 60 
			 Peugeot Boxer 18 
			 Peugeot Expert 6 
			 Peugeot Partner 4 
			 Renault Kangoo 1 
			 Suzuki Carry 1 
			 Suzuki GSX 1 
			 Taxi Black cab 3 
			 Toyota Avensis 208 
			 Toyota Corolla 88 
			 Toyota Hiace 2 
			 Toyota Prius 28 
			 Toyota RAV4 1 
			 Vauxhall Astra 644 
			 Vauxhall Astramax 1 
			 Vauxhall Combo 3 
			 Vauxhall Corsa 71 
			 Vauxhall Meriva 17 
			 Vauxhall Movano 6 
			 Vauxhall Signum 1 
			 Vauxhall Vectra 201 
			 Vauxhall Vivaro 5 
			 Vauxhall Zafira 37 
			 Volkswagen Bora 10 
			 Volkswagen Golf 19 
			 Volkswagen Transporter 3 
			 Volvo S40 58 
			 Volvo V40 10 
			 Volvo V50 28 
			 Ford Fiesta 22 
			 Ford Focus 162 
			 Ford Galaxy 6 
			 Ford Iveco 4 
			 Ford Mondeo 107 
			 Ford Transit 9 
			 Honda CBR 4 
			 Honda VFR 5 
			 Mercedes Sprinter 7 
			 Mercedes 814 Chassis 1 
			 Mercedes Vito 1 
			 Mobile unit Mobile unit 2 
			 Nissan Almera 5 
			 Nissan Primera 16 
			 Peugeot 106 2 
			 Peugeot 205 1 
			 Peugeot 206 59 
			 Peugeot 306 5 
			 Peugeot 307 292 
			 Peugeot 406 30 
			 Peugeot 407 60 
			 Peugeot Boxer 18 
			 Peugeot Expert 6 
			 Peugeot Partner 4 
			 Renault Kangoo 1 
			 Suzuki Carry 1 
			 Suzuki GSX 1 
			 Taxi Black cab 3 
			 Toyota Avensis 208 
			 Toyota Corolla 88 
			 Toyota Hiace 2 
			 Toyota Prius 28 
			 Toyota RAV4 1 
			 Vauxhall Astra 644 
			 Vauxhall Astramax 1 
			 Vauxhall Combo 3 
			 Vauxhall Corsa 71 
			 Vauxhall Meriva 17 
			 Vauxhall Movano 6 
			 Vauxhall Signum 1 
			 Vauxhall Vectra 201 
			 Vauxhall Vivaro 5 
			 Vauxhall Zafira 37 
			 Volkswagen Bora 10 
			 Volkswagen Golf 19 
			 Volkswagen Transporter 3 
			 Volvo S40 58 
			 Volvo V40 10 
			 Volvo V50 28 
			 Total  2,449

Health and Safety Executive

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what European infraction proceedings have been initiated against the Health and Safety Executive in relation to alleged non-compliance with directives.

Anne McGuire: There are current infraction proceedings against the UK Government, for late or defective implementation of European legislation, in relation to the following occupational safety and health directives:
	Directive 89/391/EEC on the introduction of measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health of workers at work, "The Framework Directive,"—defective implementation of Articles 5(1) and 5(4).
	Directive 98/8/EC concerning the placing of biocidal products on the market—defective implementation of Articles 7(6), 7(8), 8(5), 8(9), 11, 12(1)(c), 16 and 22.
	Directive 2002/44/EC on the minimum health and safety requirements regarding the exposure of workers to the risks arising from physical agents (vibration)—late transposition (by Gibraltar).
	Directive 2003/10 on the minimum health and safety requirements regarding the exposure of workers to the risks arising from physical agents (noise)—late transposition (by Gibraltar).
	Directive 2003/18/EC on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to asbestos at work—late transposition.
	Directive 2003/105/EC on the control of major-accident hazards involving dangerous substances—defective implementation of Article 11.
	Of these only the infraction proceedings on Directive 89/391/EEC have been referred to the European Court of Justice. The oral hearing took place on 13 September 2006 and judgement of the Court is expected in Spring 2007. The UK has robustly defended the case.
	It is unlikely that any of the other cases will be referred to the European Court of Justice.

Lone Parents

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost of providing lone parents with a work related activity premium for each year from 2006-07 to 2008-09; what the reason is for paying lone parents for engaging in work related activity; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: Helping lone parents develop and maintain their attachment to the labour market not only helps them meet their parental responsibilities, which has positive impacts on their children's health, schooling and prospects in later life, but is also an effective way of moving them and their children out of poverty and ensuring their social inclusion. This is why we are introducing the Work Related Activity Premium (WRAP).
	Lone parents in pilot areas who have been on certain qualifying benefits for at least six months, whose youngest child is aged 11 or over, will be eligible for the WRAP if they agree to take formal steps to return to the labour market. Participants will be paid a £20 a week premium for six months, which will be paid on top of their ordinary Income Support entitlement. If the lone parent stops doing work related activity, or enters work, payment of the premium will end.
	The WRAP will be piloted in seven Jobcentre Plus districts from April 2007. The costs of providing WRAP in the pilot areas will be dependent on the number of lone parents who choose to participate in this voluntary initiative, and undertake work related activity. The pilot areas cover approximately 10 per cent. of the lone parent population and will inform us on the level of take up we can expect if the premium is rolled out nationally at a later date. As the pilot doesn't start until April 2007, any costs in 2006-07 will be pilot start-up costs only.
	The cost of providing the WRAP to each lone parent who volunteers to take part in the pilot will be £520 if they receive the premium for the full 26 weeks. Lone parents moving off benefit and into work will result in savings to Government benefit expenditure.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Compact Commissioner

Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what powers the Compact Commissioner will have to ensure that local government meets the principles of the Compact.

Edward Miliband: The Commissioner for the Compact will oversee the operation of the relationship between government at all levels and the voluntary and community sector through the Compact. The Compact is voluntarily agreed between Government and the voluntary and community sector. The role of the Commissioner is to champion implementation of voluntary agreements, and therefore he does not have statutory powers.
	The Commissioner's remit includes:
	Promoting effective ways of working in partnership, including the development of a set of core Compact commitments backed by an accreditation or kitemark scheme
	Promoting best practice, and making recommendations and reporting on investigations
	Looking at specific issues and concerns, acting as an honest broker between partners, intervening where effective and efficient to do so.
	93 per cent. of local authority areas now have a published Local Compact, and there are a further 6 per cent. where development is under way. The Commissioner for the Compact will strategically build on and support local work as well as the national framework.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what estimate she has made of the total carbon emission from the Prime Minister's offices in each year since 1997.

Edward Miliband: The Prime Minister's Office forms an integral part of the Cabinet Office estate and figures for individual parts of the estate cannot be disaggregated. The available information on the amount of total carbon emissions for the Cabinet Office is shown in the following table. Figures prior to 1999-2000 are not available.
	
		
			   Total carbon emissions (tonnes) 
			 1999-2000 1,890 
			 2000-01 1,927 
			 2001-02 2,136 
			 2002-03 2,207 
			 2003-04 1,937 
			 2004-05 2,208 
			 2005-06 2,031 
		
	
	The Cabinet Office aims to reduce its carbon emissions, improve its energy management practices and identify likely areas for potential energy savings. As part of this, the Cabinet Office has recently signed up to the Carbon Trust's Carbon Management Programme.

Islam and Muslim Affairs

Paul Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many  (a) mosques and  (b) Muslim schools were investigated by the Charity Commission in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Miliband: This is a matter for the Charity Commission as the Government Department responsible for the regulation of charities in England and Wales. I will ask the chief executive of the Charity Commission to write to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library for the reference of Members.

Key Workers

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether any of her staff in the Cabinet Office are classed as key workers for the purposes of the low-cost home ownership or shared ownership schemes.

Edward Miliband: There are currently no staff in the Cabinet Office who are classed as key workers for the purposes of the low-cost home ownership or shared ownership schemes.

Scottish Statutory Instruments

Mark Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many  (a) UK and  (b) Scottish statutory instruments were made in each year since 1979 to 2005.

Edward Miliband: holding answer 9 October 2006
	Between 1979 and 2005 the number of UK statutory instruments (Sis) made in each year is shown in the following table. Scottish Statutory Instruments are included in the statistics up to 1999. After 1999 the number of Scottish Statutory Instruments is a devolved matter which is the responsibility of the Scottish Executive and the Scottish Parliament. Scottish Statutory Instrument Statistics are, however, available on the Office of the Queen's Printer for Scotland's website at: http://www.oqps.gov.uk/scotlegislation/ssi_statistics.htm
	
		
			   Total number of statutory instruments 
			 1979 1,770 
			 1980 2,051 
			 1981 1,892 
			 1982 1,900 
			 1983 1,965 
			 1984 2,061 
			 1985 2,082 
			 1986 2,350 
			 1987 2,278 
			 1988 2,311 
			 1989 2,503 
			 1990 2,664 
			 1991 2,951 
			 1992 3,359 
			 1993 3,279 
			 1994 3,334 
			 1995 3,345 
			 1996 3,291 
			 1997 3,114 
			 1998 3,319 
			 1999 3,488 
			 2000 3,424 
			 2001 (1)4,147 
			 2002 3,271 
			 2003 3,354 
			 2004 3,452 
			 2005 3,599 
			 (1) It is important to note that the number of Sis registered during 2001 included 597 UK Government Sis and 36 National Assembly for Wales Sis which related directly to the outbreak of foot and mouth disease. 
		
	
	Updated statistics in relation to Statutory Instruments are also available on the OPSI website at: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si-statistics.htm

HEALTH

Alimta

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which strategic health authorities prescribe the drug Alimta.

Andy Burnham: During 2005 pemetrexed (Alimta) was used in hospitals in the following strategic health authorities (SHAs):
	Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire
	Birmingham and the Black Country
	Cheshire and Merseyside
	County Durham and Tees Valley
	Essex
	Greater Manchester
	Hampshire and Isle of Wight
	Kent and Medway
	Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland
	North and East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire
	Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire
	North Central London
	North East London
	North West London
	Northumberland, Tyne and Wear
	Shropshire and Staffordshire
	Somerset and Dorset
	South West Peninsula
	Surrey and Sussex
	Thames Valley
	Trent
	West Yorkshire
	Use of pemetrexed in hospitals in other SHAs may not be captured in available data.

Broomfield Private Finance Initiative

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her statement of 11 October 2006,  Official Report, column 409, on the NHS, what plans she has to look into the Broomfield private finance initiative scheme; and when she expects to conclude her investigations.

Andy Burnham: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 13 September 2006,  Official Report, column 2271W. Work on the proposal for the Broomfield hospital is being taken forward by the Mid-Essex NHS trust and the strategic health authority.

Carers

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the commitment contained in the White Paper, "Our health, Our care, Our say", for training all staff who look after people at the end of their lives, will incorporate staff working in care homes.

Ivan Lewis: The programme of action outlined in "Our Health, Our Care, Our Say" sets out a clear direction for end of life care, which will deliver increased choice to all patients, regardless of their age or condition, about where they live and die, and provide them with the support to make this possible. The continuation of the current end of life care programme is a key part of this wider plan of action. The end of life care programme is providing training to staff in all settings, including care homes, in the principles of palliative and end of life care.

Cervical Screening

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to speed up the results of cervical screening; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The Government are committed to reducing waiting times for the results of cervical screening. In order to inform a way forward, national health service cancer screening programmes commissioned a formal options appraisal from the School of Health and Related Research in Sheffield.
	Officials are now considering the findings of the report with key stakeholders, including the advisory committee on cervical screening. A series of possible actions to speed up the results of cervical screening are being developed, and advice will be sent to the national health service in due course.

Community/Cottage Hospitals

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which community hospitals and cottage hospitals which have closed since 1997.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 19 October 2006
	This information is not collected centrally.

Continuing Health Care

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the number of people who will meet the eligibility criteria for NHS continuing health care which are set out in the Government's proposals for a new national framework for NHS continuing health care;
	(2)  what additional resources are being made available to finance the Government's proposals for a national framework for NHS continuing health care.

Ivan Lewis: The public consultation on the national framework for national health service continuing health care closed on 22 September and participants' comments are currently being collated.
	Until this process is completed, it will not be possible to make a decision about funding levels and no estimate of the number of individuals eligible for NHS funding can be made. However, the national framework will not change the existing legal basis for the provision of NHS continuing health care. Fully funded NHS continuing health care will continue to be provided for all those individuals whose primary need is a health need.

Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will reply to the hon. Member for West Worcestershire's letter of 11 July about the closure of the residential side of Osborne Court community unit.

Rosie Winterton: A reply was sent on 18 October 2006.

Health Act

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the timetable is for the publication of regulations made under the Health Act 2006; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Health Act 2006 contains a wide range of regulation-making powers, covering issues such as smoke-free premises, pharmaceutical services, ophthalmic services, the Appointments Commission and the national health service cost recovery scheme. The timetable for publication of regulations also varies considerably, depending on the circumstances in each case. The following regulations have already been published:
	draft regulations, "Smoke-free premises and vehicles", were published for consultation on 17 July. The consultation finished on 9 October 2006 and Ministers are considering the responses before publishing final regulations; and
	regulations in respect of the Appointments Commission were made on 4 September and came into force on 1 October 2006 (SI2006/2380).
	Other regulations will be published in due course.

Health Funding

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total unified financial allocation to each primary care trust (PCT) for 2006-07; and what was the allocation per head of population for each PCT.

Andy Burnham: Revenue allocations were made to 303 primary care trusts (PCTs) for 2006-07. The information placed in the Library shows these and the allocation per head of population.
	The number of PCTs was reduced from 303 to 152 on 1 October 2006.

Isoft

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what risks there are for the National Health Service posed by the financial losses of isoft.

Caroline Flint: The national health service currently uses iSOFT products extensively outside the national programme for information technology (IT) in the NHS. In light of the financial statements made by iSOFT, Connecting for Health reminded all NHS trusts that it was normal best practice to ensure that copies of the software they use is held in escrow allowed within their own locally owned contracts.
	Connecting for Health, the agency delivering the national programme for IT, does not contract directly with iSOFT. iSOFT is contracted to deliver clinical software to local service providers in three of the five clusters. One of the local service providers, Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), has agreed with iSOFT additional rights to step in and undertake the management of development of iSOFT's Lorenzo software in the event that iSOFT fails to meet its agreed delivery targets.
	This additional right by CSC adds greater certainty to the delivery of the Lorenzo product for the NHS in England.

Lyme Disease

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate her Department has made of the number of people with Lyme disease who are not receiving treatment for their illness.

Caroline Flint: The information is not collected centrally.

Missed Hospital Appointments

Stephen Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the percentage of missed appointments was in each hospital in London in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and what the financial costs were for each hospital.

Rosie Winterton: The information has been placed in the Library. The Department has not made an estimate on the cost of missed appointments.

National Tariff

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what market forces factor variation from the national tariff presently applies to each provider NHS trust.

Andy Burnham: The following table shows the market forces factor applicable under payment by results in 2006-07.
	
		
			  Table showing market forces factor applied to national tariff for NHS providers in England in 2006-07 
			  Organisation name  MFF for use in PBR 
			 Aintree Hospitals NHS Trust 1.06 
			 Airedale NHS Trust 1.06 
			 Amber Valley PCT 1.04 
			 Ashfield PCT 1.04 
			 Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust 1.25 
			 Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust 1.17 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust 1.22 
			 Barnsley PCT 1.05 
			 Barts and The London NHS Trust 1.34 
			 Bath and North East Somerset PCT 1.12 
			 Bedford Hospitals NHS Trust 1.14 
			 Birmingham Children's Hospital NHS Trust 1.13 
			 Birmingham Women's Healthcare NHS Trust 1.13 
			 Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Hospitals NHS Trust 103 
			 Blackwater Valley and Hart PCT 1.19 
			 Bolton Hospitals NHS Trust 1.05 
			 Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust 1.14 
			 Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust 1.20 
			 Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust 1.20 
			 Burntwood, Lichfield and Tamworth PCT 1.06 
			 Burton Hospitals NHS Trust 1.07 
			 Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust 1.07 
			 Camden PCT 1.35 
			 Central Manchester/ Manchester Children's NHS Trust 1.12 
			 Charnwood and North West Leicestershire PCT 1.08 
			 Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS Trust 1.40 
			 Chesterfield PCT 1.03 
			 Chorley and South Ribble PCT 1.05 
			 Christie Hospital NHS Trust 1.13 
			 Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology NHS Trust 1.09 
			 Cotswold and Vale PCT 1.11 
			 County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 1.05 
			 Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust 1.14 
			 Dudley Beacon and Castle PCT 1.05 
			 Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Trust 1.06 
			 Ealing Hospital NHS Trust 1.23 
			 East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust 1.18 
			 East Cambridgeshire and Fenland PCT 1.09 
			 East Cheshire NHS Trust 1.10 
			 East Hampshire PCT 1.12 
			 East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust 1.09 
			 East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust 1.04 
			 East Somerset NHS Trust 1.05 
			 East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust 1.06 
			 Eastleigh and Test Valley South PCT 1.13 
			 Epsom and St. Helier NHS Trust 1.23 
			 Erewash PCT 1.06 
			 Essex Rivers Healthcare NHS Trust 1.09 
			 George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust 1.10 
			 Good Hope Hospital NHS Trust 1.09 
			 Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Trust 1.42 
			 Guildford and Waverley PCT 1.22 
			 Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust 1.30 
			 Haringey PCT 1.25 
			 Heart of Birmingham Teaching PCT 1.12 
			 Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Trust 1.23 
			 Hereford Hospitals NHS Trust 1.05 
			 Herefordshire PCT 1.05 
			 Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Trust 1.19 
			 High Peak and Dales PCT 1.06 
			 Hinchingbrooke Healthcare NHS Trust 1.12 
			 Hinckley and Bosworth PCT 1.08 
			 Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust 1.05 
			 Huntingdonshire PCT 1.12 
			 Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust 1.10 
			 Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Trust 1.07 
			 James Paget Healthcare NHS Trust 1.04 
			 Kennet and North Wiltshire PCT 1.13 
			 Kettering General Hospital NHS Trust 1.10 
			 King's College Hospital NHS Trust 1.29 
			 Kings Lynn and Wisbech Hospitals NHS Trust 1.06 
			 Kingston Hospital NHS Trust 1.26 
			 Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust 1.09 
			 Luton and Dunstable Hospital NHS Trust 1.16 
			 Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust 1.13 
			 Mansfield District PCT 1.02 
			 Mayday Healthcare NHS Trust 1.22 
			 Medway NHS Trust 1.12 
			 Melton, Rutland and Harborough PCT 1.08 
			 Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust 1.11 
			 Mid Staffordshire General Hospitals NHS Trust 1.06 
			 Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust 1.07 
			 Mid-Hampshire PCT 1.14 
			 Milton Keynes General Hospital NHS Trust 1.15 
			 Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHS Trust 1.05 
			 New Forest PCT 1.11 
			 Newbury and Community PCT 1.18 
			 Newcastle PCT 1.07 
			 Newham PCT 1.22 
			 Newham Healthcare NHS Trust 1.24 
			 Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Trust 1.05 
			 North Bristol NHS Trust 1.13 
			 North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust 1.09 
			 North Cumbria Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 1.05 
			 North Eastern Derbyshire PCT 1.03 
			 North Hampshire PCT 1.19 
			 North Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust 1.19 
			 North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust 1.19 
			 North Stoke PCT 1.02 
			 North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust 1.06 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 1.24 
			 Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust 1.12 
			 Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Trust 1.12 
			 Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust 1.02 
			 North Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Trust 1.05 
			 Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust 1.05 
			 Nottingham City Hospital NHS Trust 1.07 
			 Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre NHS Trust 1.18 
			 Oxford Radcliffe Hospital NHS Trust 1.17 
			 Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 1.07 
			 Plymouth PCT 1.05 
			 Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust 1.05 
			 Poole Hospitals NHS Trust 1,10 
			 Portsmouth City PCT 1.13 
			 Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust 1.12 
			 Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Trust 1.20 
			 Queen Mary's, Sidcup NHS Trust 1.14 
			 Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham University Hospital NHS Trust 1.08 
			 Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic and District Hospital NHS Trust 1.05 
			 Rowley Regis and Tipton PCT 1.05 
			 Royal Berkshire and Battle Hospitals NHS Trust 1.23 
			 Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust 1.35 
			 Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust 1.01 
			 Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust 1.37 
			 Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust 1.08 
			 Royal Liverpool Children's NHS Trust 1.08 
			 Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust 1.20 
			 Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust 1.13 
			 Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Trust 1.22 
			 Royal United Hospital, Bath NHS Trust 1.13 
			 Royal West Sussex NHS Trust 1.12 
			 Salford Royal Hospitals NHS Trust 1.09 
			 Salisbury Healthcare NHS Trust 1.09 
			 Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust 1.10 
			 Scarborough and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust 1.05 
			 Sheffield Children's NHS Trust 1.07 
			 Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust 1.04 
			 Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust 1.05 
			 Shropshire County PCT 1.05 
			 Slough PCT 1.24 
			 South and East Dorset PCT 1.09 
			 South Birmingham PCT 1.13 
			 South Devon Healthcare NHS Trust 1.00 
			 South East Sheffield PCT 1.05 
			 South Manchester University Hospitals NHS Trust 1.13 
			 South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust 1.08 
			 South Warwickshire PCT 1.12 
			 South Warwickshire General Hospitals NHS Trust 1.12 
			 South Worcestershire PCT 1.07 
			 Southampton City PCT 1.13 
			 Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust 1.13 
			 Southend Hospital NHS Trust 1.08 
			 Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust 1.04 
			 St. George's Healthcare NHS Trust 1.28 
			 St. Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust 1.08 
			 St. Mary's NHS Trust 1.45 
			 Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust 1.18 
			 Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust 1.15 
			 Tameside and Glossop Acute Services NHS Trust 1.07 
			 Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust 1.05 
			 Taunton Deane PCT 1.04 
			 Teignbridge PCT 1.01 
			 Telford and Wrekin PCT 1.05 
			 Cardiothoracic Centre—Liverpool NHS Trust 1.08 
			 Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust 1.23 
			 Lewisham Hospital NHS Trust 1.24 
			 Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust 1.07 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust 1.07 
			 Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust 1.18 
			 Royal Wolverhampton Hospital NHS Trust 1.07 
			 Whittington Hospital NHS Trust 1.37 
			 Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust 1.13 
			 United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust 1.13 
			 United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust 1.04 
			 North Staffordshire Hospital NHS Trust 1.03 
			 University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust 1.14 
			 University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust 1.07 
			 Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust 1.05 
			 Walton centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery NHS Trust 1.06 
			 Wandsworth PCT 1.28 
			 West Dorset General Hospitals NHS Trust 1.04 
			 West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust 1.22 
			 West Middlesex University NHS Trust 1.27 
			 West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust 1.09 
			 West Wiltshire PCT 1.11 
			 Western Sussex PCT 1.12 
			 Weston Area Health NHS Trust 1.10 
			 Whipps Cross University Hospitals NHS Trust 1.20 
			 Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust 1.14 
			 Windsor, Ascot and Maidenhead PCT 1.26 
			 Wirral Hospital NHS Trust 1.07 
			 Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 1.08 
			 Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust 1.10 
			 Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Trust 1.06 
			 York Health Services NHS Trust 1.08 
			  Note:  List of providers, as determined by 2006-07 PbR baseline exercise

Patient and Public Involvement Forums

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of patient and public involvement forums and the level of public engagement achieved by each trust.

Rosie Winterton: There has been no formal evaluation of the effectiveness of the patient and public involvement forums. However, each year the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health (CPPIH) produces a report detailing their activities and achievements. A copy of their report is available in the Library and on their website at:www.cppih.org/documents/AnnualReport 2006_000.pdf
	As part of the annual health check, the process by which the Healthcare Commission assesses trust performance, each trust's performance is assessed against 'Standards for Better Health', a copy of which is also available in the Library. Core standard 17 of those standards requires public engagement and consultation by all trusts.

Pfizer Products

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the potential impact on the supply of medicines of Pfizer's decision to distribute their medicines using a single pharmaceutical wholesaler.

Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what guarantees Pfizer and Unichem have given the Department concerning the availability of Pfizer products to the NHS from early 2007;
	(2)  what assessment the Department has made of the impact on the NHS of the decision by Pfizer to sell its products through a single distribution channel from early 2007.

Andy Burnham: This is a commercial matter for Pfizer. Pfizer have assured the Department that it will make every effort to ensure that these new arrangements will not result in any disruptions in the supply of its United Kingdom-sourced branded medicines to national health service patients. The Department will monitor these new arrangements with a view to taking corrective action if appropriate.

Self-Care

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in developing an accreditation scheme for information providers as set out in the Supporting People with Long Term Conditions to Self Care guide.

Ivan Lewis: Departmental officials have been working with stakeholders to develop proposals for the information accreditation scheme (IAS). A decision on the implementation of the IAS will be taken later this year.

Wanless Review

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what discussions she has had with HM Treasury on the proposals contained in the Wanless social care review;
	(2)  whether she plans to have a public consultation on the proposals contained in the Wanless social care review; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  what progress her Department's working group on social care funding has made; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Departmental officials have regular discussions with their counterparts at HM Treasury about the broad range of policy and funding options for adult social care in preparation for the comprehensive spending review 2007. They draw upon the best range of available evidence to support these discussions.
	The Wanless social care review, "Securing Good Care for Older People", has been an important—but not exclusive—addition to the evidence base about the long term funding of adult social care. There are no current plans to consult the public on the proposals in the report.
	The comprehensive spending review working group continues to have discussions about funding for adult social care. It is due to meet finally this autumn. The outcome of these discussions will be added to the wider evidence base required for the Department's preparation for the 2007 comprehensive spending review.

DEFENCE

Agency Staff

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what average hourly rate was paid by his Department to each employment agency for staff employed through agencies in 2005-06.

Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence currently uses a range of suppliers providing both local and national coverage for a wide range of grades and specialists. Information on hourly rates is not currently held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Agency Staff

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what average hourly rate his Department paid to employment agencies for agency staff in each year since 1999, broken down by agency.

Derek Twigg: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Temporary staff are generally used as an interim measure to fill posts that cannot be filled conventionally in the required timescale or to cover short-term peaks in workload.

Aircraft Sales (Saudi Arabia)

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effect of the sale of 72 Eurofighter aircraft by BAE Systems to Saudi Arabia on political and military stability in  (a) the region and (b) Saudi Arabia; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the financial effects on the UK of the recent sale of Eurofighter aircraft by BAE Systems to Saudi Arabia; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what the total costs to the UK incurred by the Defence Export Services Organisation and other Government Departments and individuals were in promoting the sale of Eurofighter aircraft by BAE Systems to Saudi Arabia; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The sale of Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft to Saudi Arabia is fully consistent with our policy of supporting the efforts of the Gulf Co-operation Council States, of which Saudi Arabia is the biggest, in promoting regional stability. It also meets the legitimate defence requirements of the Saudi armed forces. Negotiations on the commercial arrangements for the sale are continuing and a full assessment of the financial effects would not be possible until their conclusion. However, as the then Secretary of State for Defence stated in December last year, the deal represents good news for both UK and Saudi industry and will help sustain several thousand UK jobs over the next 10 years.
	The negotiations on the Understanding Document signed last December, which set out the intention to establish greater partnership in modernising the Saudi armed forces, and on the subsequent commercial arrangements for the sale of Typhoon aircraft have been led by this Department. The costs associated with these activities have been recovered from a management fee received from the Saudi Arabian Government. No record has been kept of that element of the management fees used to cover the above costs and one could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Conspicuous Gallantry Cross

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many previous occasions, and to whom, the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross has been awarded.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 16 October 2006
	Since its institution in February 1995 16 awards of the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross have been made to members of the armed forces. They were announced in the  London Gazette at the time. The first recipient was a Corporal in the Balkans in May 1995. Since then there have been a further one in the Balkans, two in Sierra Leone, four in Afghanistan and eight in Iraq. With the recent award to the Royal Irish Regiment the number has increased to 17.

Departmental Expenditure

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on taxis in the last 12 months.

Derek Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 9 January 2006,  Official Report, column 227W.

Energy Consumption

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the Department's annual consumption of  (a) electricity,  (b) gas,  (c) oil and  (d) vehicle fuel was in each of the last five years; and how much was spent on each in each year.

Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence's annual expenditure on and consumption of electricity, gas, heating oil and vehicle fuel in each of the last five years are detailed in the following tables.
	
		
			  Expenditure 
			  £ million 
			   Description 
			   Electricity  Gas  Heating oil  Vehicle fuel  Unites States forces—utilities consumption 
			 2001-02 107 57 21 — 7 
			 2002-03 92 56 26 — 8 
			 2003-04 98 53 21 — 1 
			 2004-05 114 69 25 — 2 
			 2005-06 141 100 31 64 3 
		
	
	
		
			  Consumption 
			   kWh (weather corrected) 
			   Electricity  Gas  Heating Oil  Vehicle Fuel 
			 2001-02 1,894,069,084 3,653,202,681 1,305,509,870 — 
			 2002-03 1,995,090,434 3,753,324,853 1,213,570,915 — 
			 2003-04 2,056,585,715 3,920,001,868 1,127,825,674 67,367,116 
			 2004-05 2,012,300,237 4,162,748,822 1,138,636,804 70,046,299 
			 2005-06 — — — 68,315,579 
		
	
	Defence Fuels Group only holds financial information for vehicle fuel for the last financial year and does not hold consumption figures for 2001-02 and 2002-03.
	The finalised 2005-06 consumption figures for electricity, gas and heating oil are not yet available. However, they will be published later this year in the Sustainable Development Commission's Sustainable Development in Government Report, a copy of which will be placed in the Library of the House.

Exertional Heat Illness

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what advice is given to  (a) soldiers,  (b) officers,  (c) trainers and  (d) medics regarding the prevention, recognition and treatment of exertional heat illness.

Derek Twigg: Joint Service Publication (JSP) 539 contains the advice given to Service personnel regarding the prevention, recognition and treatment of exertional heat illness (EHI). The JSP aims to educate all Service personnel in the prevention and treatment of cases of heat and cold injury in order to minimise the risks of morbidity or mortality associated with these preventable conditions. It also sets out the procedures to minimise the risk of developing heat and cold illness and describes the immediate management of anyone who develops a thermal injury.
	The Annexes to chapter 2 of the JSP provide detailed guidance on the assessment of risk of heat illness and the water requirements for personnel during exercise in the heat. They also provide guidance for medical staff on the treatment of heat illness and a detailed schedule for heat acclimatisation prior to and during deployment to hot climates.
	I have placed a copy of JSP 539 in the Library of the House.

Joint Personnel Administration System

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints he received from RAF personnel stationed in Afghanistan about the Joint Personnel Administration system in  (a) April,  (b) May,  (c) June and  (d) July.

Derek Twigg: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

MOD Estate

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his timetable is for  (a) land disposals and  (b) re-development positions relating to (i) Aldershot Urban Extension, (ii) Deepcut and (iii) Aborfield; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: In respect of the Aldershot Urban Extension, the Defence Estates Agency is promoting the site for a residential led mixed use development and are seeking to agree a Master Plan for the redevelopment with the local planning authority. It is possible that the land will be disposed of in phases as it becomes vacant.
	On Deepcut and Arborfield, the disposal of these sites is subject to the outcome of the Defence Training Review Rationalisation Programme. An announcement about this Programme is anticipated later this year.

Open Prison (Dover)

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what measures are being taken to separate Connaught Barracks, Dover from the Duke of York's Military School prior to the barracks becoming an open prison;
	(2)  on what date Connaught Barracks, Dover changes its function to that of an open prison.

Derek Twigg: The future use of Connaught Barracks is still to be determined and an announcement will be made in due course.

Operational Bonus

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what payroll system will be used to calculate and pay the new operational bonus to personnel in the  (a) Royal Air Force,  (b) Royal Navy and  (c) Army.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 17 October 2006
	The Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) payroll system is already in place for the Royal Air Force, and will be used from November 2006 by the Royal Navy and from April 2007 by the Army. For Army personnel the existing legacy pay system will be used until JPA roll out.

Reservists

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what grounds the Ministry of Defence police may begin investigations into employers' financial assistance claims for mobilised reservists.

Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence police will act on the reasonable suspicions of anyone who alleges wrongdoing on the part of an employer making a claim for financial assistance in respect of a mobilised reservist. Criminal investigations are most likely to be instigated when the Service Adjudication Officer considering a particular claim suspects an incidence of fraud.

Service Families Accommodation

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to  (a) reduce use of service families accommodation and  (b) increase leasing of private sector accommodation.

Derek Twigg: There are currently no plans to reduce the use of UK Service Families Accommodation (SFA) in favour of leasing accommodation from the private sector.
	The MOD only leases private sector accommodation in the UK when it has an individual housing requirement that it cannot satisfy with existing SFA or where personnel moves necessitate bulk hirings to meet a short-term need before families settle in the local communities. Where long-term demand exists in cases where there is currently no available SFA, cost-effective PFI schemes are often used to satisfy demand.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of progress on reconstruction projects in Afghanistan; and if he will place in the Library copies of the relevant aid impact analysis reports.

Hilary Benn: Despite a legacy of more than 20 years of conflict, Afghanistan has made good progress in reconstruction over the last five years. In January 2005, the Government of Afghanistan launched the interim Afghanistan National Development Strategy and the Afghanistan Compact at the London Conference. This is a major step in setting the overall strategy for development policies including reconstruction. The international community fully supports this strategy and as a result pledged £10.5 billion towards implementation. There are now 60 per cent. more functioning health clinics, nearly 2,000 schools have been built or rehabilitated and 60,000 former combatants have been disarmed. Major road rehabilitation is connecting major urban centres and Afghanistan with its neighbours. Reliable electricity supply is being restored in urban centres and rural electrification programmes are under way. The telecommunications sector is growing fast, connecting businesses and people in Afghanistan.
	DFID support for the National Rural Access Programme (£18 million) is helping to build essential infrastructure such as irrigation schemes, roads and bridges. Under this programme nearly 8,000 km of roads have been built or repaired, as well as schools, health clinics and water schemes. The programme has also generated over 13 million days of labour. DFID support for the National Solidarity Programme (£17 million) is helping local communities through elected Community Development Councils (CDCs) to identify what development is most needed in their areas and then receive grants to undertake their work. The programme has funded over 17,000 projects in the areas of agriculture, education, health, irrigation, power supply, transport and water supply.
	None the less, the challenges remain great. While progress has been good there is a long way to go: DFID recognises this. DFID's Interim Strategy for Afghanistan 2005-06 states that the highest immediate priority is to stabilise the country, to ensure the Government are able to deliver services nationwide and to establish the rule of law within a democratic political system that safeguards human rights.
	DFID recently participated in a joint evaluation of Humanitarian and Reconstruction Assistance to Afghanistan, 2001-05, with Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands and Sweden. This focused on assessing the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency impact and coherence of the assistance and identifies the lessons learned. It concluded that assistance to Afghanistan has produced important results to date, but for sustainable impact, long-term development and peace-keeping is needed. I will ensure copies of this are placed in the Library.

Millennium Development Goals

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent progress has been made on meeting the Millennium Development Goals; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The world is on track to meet the poverty reduction and hunger goal. The most recent official data at global level show that between 1990 and 2002, the percentage of people living on less than $1 a day in the developing world dropped from 28 to 19 per cent. However, progress across regions varies. The proportion of people in Asia living on less than $1 a day dropped by nearly a quarter of a billion over that period. In sub-Saharan Africa, the goal is seriously off track, and although the poverty rate did not increase, the number of people living in extreme poverty increased by 140 million.
	Progress towards the other seven Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is assessed using data up to between 2003 and 2005 depending on the goals. Progress towards these goals varies. For example, reducing child mortality is on track in Latin America, South East Asia and North Africa, and slightly off track in most other regions. There is less progress towards goal 6 (combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases), which is seriously off track for at least one of the targets in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Oceania and the Commonwealth of Independent States both in Europe and Asia. Progress towards environmental sustainability is mixed, with most regions off track for some targets and on track for others. On current rates of progress, sub-Saharan Africa will not meet any of the goals by 2015.
	The recently published 2006 UN Millennium Development Goals Report, which can be found on http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mdg/default.aspx, gives a comprehensive account of progress to date on each of the goals, and how great an effort remains necessary if they are to be met. DFID's 2006 Departmental Report includes an annex on UK progress towards MDG8. A copy of the report is available in the House of Commons Library.
	Because the situation worsened in Africa, the UK has placed Africa at the forefront of our campaign for more and better aid. Of the 25 key countries on which DFID focuses its work, 16 are in Africa. The recent White Paper indicates what DFID sets out to do with respect to governance, basic services, climate change and the international system, which would all help make further progress towards meeting the MDGs.

Palestine

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the impact on education in the Occupied Territories of Israel's approach to the granting or refusal of permits for Palestinian foreign passport holders for entry, re-entry or continuous residence in the Occupied Territories.

Hilary Benn: Since spring 2006, the Israeli authorities have been more strictly enforcing entry procedures towards foreign nationals (including those of Palestinian origin) who wish to visit the Occupied Territories. This includes would-be teachers and students. As a result, we estimate that hundreds of foreign nationals have been refused entry. Our embassy in Tel Aviv raised our concerns with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 21 August.

Palestine

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the impact of the availability of health facilities for Palestinian children in Gaza and the West Bank on the quality of care; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: DFID is providing support to the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs to help in monitoring the state of health care services in Gaza and the West Bank. Most health facilities have remained open since the start of the year. However, recent reports indicate that the strike by Palestinian authority workers that began on 23 August has led to reduced services being offered in hospitals and health centres across the West Bank. Gaza hospitals remain relatively unaffected. The UN Relief Works Agency, which provides services for the refugee population, has reported that there is an increase in the number of non-refugee families using their immunisation service.

Sahel (Harvest Failure)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance the UK is offering to  (a) Nigeria,  (b) Mali,  (c) Mauritania and  (d) Burkina Faso following the failure of the harvests in the Sahel; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: Extreme poverty, marginal livelihoods, and other chronic issues lie at the heart of the crisis which affected the Sahel in 2005, with inadequate rainfall, and locust infestation in 2004, adding to the problem. This situation led to deficits in the 2004 harvest, further antagonised by extreme food-price rises, and reductions in the poorest populations' access to food. In 2006, following adequate rainfall and with food production expected to be above the five-year average, the humanitarian situation remains relatively stable, but, owing to longer-term chronic vulnerabilities, the burden of acute childhood malnutrition remains high in some areas, and livelihoods remain precarious. DFID's response is as follows:
	 (a) Niger—In 2005 DFID was one of the first donors to respond to the crisis in Niger providing £3.25 million to the initial relief effort, and followed up with a further £2 million to aid the recovery process and ease further humanitarian stresses through into 2006. In 2006-07 DFID is providing an additional £1.5 million to continue the response to the high rates of childhood malnutrition that prevail, and to boost food-security through the on-going hungry season, since the legacy of the 2005 crisis persist.. This funding is being provided through United Nations agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) who are engaged in continuing relief operations in the country.
	 (b) Mali—In 2005-06 DFID provided £550,000 through the World Food Programme's (WFP) emergency feeding programme, which enabled 175,000 children under the age of five to receive vital support.
	 (c) Mauritania—Food aid needs remain high. In 2006-07 DFID has contributed £250,000 through the World Food Programme (WFP) to support feeding activities for 50,000 malnourished children and vulnerable mothers in the badly affected agro-pastoral zone in the south east of the country.
	 (d) Burkina Faso—In 2005-06 DFID provided £105,000 through Catholic Relief Services for their emergency food assistance and livelihood protection programme, enabling 57,000 vulnerable people to receive emergency support. DFID will continue to monitor the humanitarian situation in the Sahel closely, and will maintain its flexible humanitarian support to short-term emergency, recovery and mitigation needs over the coming year. Simultaneously, DFID is planning to allocate an additional £1.5 million over the next three years to tackle longer-term nutritional vulnerabilities in the Sahel region, and is exploring longer-term options for strengthening food-security.

Somali Refugees (Kenya)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps are being taken by his Department to assist the Government of Kenya in helping refugees fleeing conflict in Somalia.

Hilary Benn: Since the beginning of 2006 it is estimated that 34,000 Somalis have sought refuge in Kenya, 14,000 of these since 1 September. This adds to an existing Somali refugee caseload of 160,000. Many of these new arrivals say they are seeking asylum in Kenya because of fear of new fighting in Somalia.
	The Kenyan Government have continued in their worthy tradition of welcoming refugees. However the bulk of the support for the refugees in the camps where they are being sheltered will be provided by the international relief community. In order to seek resources for the additional requirements and for ongoing support ton the existing caseload of refugees, a UN humanitarian Flash Appeal for $35,272,035 was launched on Monday 15 October. The UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has already contributed $3,500,000. This has been split: $1,738,000 to the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the balance $1,762,000 to the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
	The UK is the largest contributor to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) having contributed $69,928,000 out of the total of $267,281,225 donated so far. It is also a major supporter of UNHCR. As of 30 September this year we were its fifth largest bilateral donor of funds in 2006 with $45 million. The UK also supports UNHCR operations through its funding to the EC, and to the CERF.
	The UK is also a major supporter of humanitarian operations in Somalia, where we have committed £17,088,534 since April 2005. The UK also continues to actively support the peace process, including the reconciliation process between the Islamic Courts and the Transitional Federal Government. The next talks are scheduled for the end of October, and the UK is calling on all sides to take the necessary steps to ensure a peaceful way forward.

Sudan

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps are being taken by his Department to tackle sexual violence in Darfur.

Hilary Benn: I refer the hon. Member to the answers provided by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Trade to Parliamentary Questions 93519 and 93529 (12 October 2006).

Sudan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what is the current level of UK funding to the African Union mission in Darfur .

Hilary Benn: The UK is a leading supporter of the African Union (AU) Mission in Darfur (AMIS). We were its first donor, and have to date provided £52 million of assistance. This includes a contribution of £20 million in the current financial year. This is being used for budgetary support, to fund military observers, and to airlift AU troops to and from Darfur. Following the AU's decision to extend AMIS's mandate to 31 December, we are now looking to see what else we can provide.

TREASURY

Breast Cancer

Dennis Skinner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many cases of breast cancer have been  (a) diagnosed and  (b) cured in the East Midlands in each of the last 10 years.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 20 October 2006:
	.
	Numbers of newly diagnosed cases of breast cancers registered in the East Midlands government office region between 1995 and 2004 are given in Table 1 below.
	It is not possible to say whether or not patients are cured. For most cancers, but not breast cancer, five-year survival rates are often taken to be 'cure' rates. Information on long-term breast cancer survival up to 2003 is available for all government office regions and can be found on the NS website at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=14172&More=n
	The information for the East Midlands is given in Table 2 below.
	Five-year age-standardised relative survival (%) from breast cancer in the East Midlands government office region for patients diagnosed between 1994-96 and 1997-99 and followed up between the ends of 2001 and 2004 are given in Table 3 below.
	
		
			  Table 1: Newly diagnosed cases of breast cancers( 1)  registered in the East Midlands, 1995 to 2003 
			   Number 
			 1995 2,489 
			 1996 2,602 
			 1997 2,640 
			 1998 2,784 
			 1999 2,962 
			 2000 2,910 
			 2001 2,874 
			 2002 2,976 
			 2003 3,239 
			 2004 3,521 
			 1 'Breast cancer' is defined by codes C50 in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD 10)  Source:  Office for National Statistics Years 2000-2003—Table 4 'Cancer Statistics: registrations, England' series MB1 http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlink=8843&Pos1UColRank=2&Rank=272 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Breast cancer—predicted long-term relative survival for the East Midlands: women aged 15-99 years at diagnosis (age-standardised( 1) ), period approach (2001-03) 
			  Percentage 
			Duration of survival 
			 Women(2) Deaths(3) 1 year 5 years 10 years 15 years 
			 22,159 3,158 94 80 69 66 
			 (1)Age-standardisation with age-specific weights given by the proportions of women diagnosed with breast cancer in England and Wales during 1986-90 in each of six age groups (15-, 40-, 50-, 60-, 70-, 80-99 years). (2)Number of women included in the analyses. (3) Number of deaths occurring among these women during the stated period.  Source:  Office for National Statistics 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Five-year age-standardised relative survival (percentage) from breast cancer for the East Midlands 
			   Percentage 
			 Patients diagnosed in 1997-99 and followed up to 31-12-04 77 
			 Patients diagnosed in 1995-97 and followed up to 31-12-02 73 
			 Patients diagnosed in 1994-96 and followed up to 31-12-01 74 
			  Source:  Office for National Statistics http://www.Statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=11991&Pos=2&ColRank=1&Rank=272

Care Vouchers

Helen Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the economic case for the use of care vouchers to help employees with caring responsibilities to purchase additional care and support for the person for whom they provide care.

Edward Balls: The Government have no plans to introduce care vouchers in this area but they are always willing to listen to representations.
	The Government have to look carefully at the costs and benefits of any proposal when making an assessment of the economic case for intervention.

Child Trust Funds

Joan Walley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the estimated value is of a child trust fund for a baby born on 20 October 2006 on reaching 18 years; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Balls: Owing to the many factors, such as parental contributions and Government endowments, which affect the final value of a child trust fund account we are unable to provide a single estimate. The child trust fund calculator website at http://www.childtrustfund.gov.uk/templates/Calculator__ 1250.aspx can be used to provide an estimated final value for the individual circumstances of a given child.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to the letters of 23 August 2006 and 11 September 2006 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on Mrs. Sharun J. Palin.

Dawn Primarolo: I have replied to my right hon. Friend.

Financial Services Authority

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Financial Services Authority plans to finalise the Handbook rules and guidance to implement CP06/3.

Edward Balls: I understand that the Financial Services Authority plans to make the rules and guidance implementing the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD) in two new FSA Handbook sourcebooks (GENPRU and BIPRU) at the FSA Board meeting on 25 October. The legal instruments should be available on the FSA's website from 27 October. There are a small number of transitional provisions, which, because of their complexity, the FSA plans to make as separate legal instruments at the November meeting of the FSA Board.

Gift Aid

Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to  (a) (i) HM Revenue and Customs and (ii) charities of processing Gift Aid and  (b) the Exchequer of Gift Aid tax relief; and how much in the period was (A) reimbursed to charities and (B) retained by higher-rate taxpayers in the last 12 months for which information is available.

Edward Balls: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not distinguish the costs of processing Gift Aid from its other activities in relation to charities and charitable giving and does not have information available to identify the cost of processing Gift Aid by charities.
	Details of Gift Aid relief reimbursed to charities and retained by higher-rate taxpayers is available to the public on the HMRC website at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/charities/menu.htm. Provisional figures for 2005-06 show total repayments to charities under Gift Aid of £728 million and £180 million of Gift Aid relief for higher-rate taxpayers.

Parliamentary Questions

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Department's correspondence dated 4 October 2004, reference 2006/05 100642, why HM Revenue and Customs has not given a substantive response to the letter of 15 May 2006 from the hon. Member for Yeovil; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Neither HMRC nor the Treasury have a record of having received this letter. My officials have asked the hon. Member's office on more than one occasion for a copy of the letter, but it has not yet been forthcoming.

Parliamentary Questions

Michael Spicer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Paymaster General will reply to the hon. Member for West Worcestershire's letter of 29 June 2006 about TOGs Calendar.

Dawn Primarolo: I have written to the hon. Member about this matter and said that I would be writing to him again shortly.

Population Statistics

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the mid-year estimates made in  (a) 2003,  (b) 2004 and  (c) 2005 were of the population in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne; and what the estimates of future population were for each year.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 20 October 2006:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your question about what the mid year estimates made in (a) 2003, (b) 2004 and (c) 2005 were of the population in the City of Newcastle upon Tyne; and what the estimates of future population based on them were for each year. (95409)
	The attached table provides the requested data for mid-2003, mid-2004 and mid-2005 and 2004-based projections for 2006 to 2010. In addition, projections for 2015, 2020 and 2025 are also shown to indicate future projected trend.
	
		
			  Table 1: Mid-2003 to mid-2005 population estimates and mid-2006 to mid-2025 population projections (2004-based) 
			  Thousand 
			   Newcastle upon Tyne 
			  Population estimates  
			 Mid-2003 266.6 
			 Mid-2004 269.5 
			 Mid-2005 276.4 
			   
			  Population projections( 1)  
			 Mid-2006 273.3 
			 Mid-2007 274.5 
			 Mid-2008 275.4 
			 Mid-2009 276.3 
			 Mid-2010 277.2 
			 Mid-2015 280.8 
			 Mid-2020 283.9 
			 Mid-2025 287.5 
			 (1 )The population projections shown in this table are taken from the 2004-based subnational population projections, the latest set of projections currently available. Therefore they are not consistent with the 2005 mid year estimates and there is a discontinuity in the series as presented between years 2005 and 2006.   Source:  Office for National Statistics

Tax Incentive Financing

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to permit local authorities to use tax incentive financing for  (a) regeneration and  (b) infrastructure projects; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: Sir Michael Lyons is currently undertaking an independent review of local government function, role and finance.

Teenage Pregnancies

David Ruffley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many teenage pregnancies there have been in Suffolk in each year since 1997, broken down by local authority area.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 20 October 2006:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many teenage pregnancies there have been in Suffolk in each year since 1997, broken down by local authority area. (95458)
	Available figures on conceptions are estimates of the number of pregnancies that resulted in a live birth, stillbirth or termination.
	Number of teenage conceptions in each Suffolk local authority area for the years 1997-2004 (the most recent year for which figures are available), are shown in the attached table.
	
		
			  Number of teenage conceptions by local authority area in Suffolk, 1997 to 2004 
			  Area of usual residence  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 Suffolk 393 439 420 363 351 407 408 435 
			 Babergh 41 42 48 42 33 44 42 40 
			 Forest Heath 34 33 29 23 28 22 29 30 
			 Ipswich 105 126 121 101 100 107 104 129 
			 Mid Suffolk 37 27 37 29 34 40 52 33 
			 St. Edmundsbury 47 68 48 45 40 37 46 54 
			 Suffolk Coastal 58 62 56 38 44 39 52 64 
			 Waveney 71 81 81 85 72 118 83 85

UK Remittances

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the scale of remittances to and from the United Kingdom for the last three financial years.

Edward Balls: Official data on private transfers are compiled by the UK's Office for National Statistics (ONS) and published in the UK Balance of Payments ('Pink Book'). Private transfers are recorded in the current transfers component of the current account of the BoP (table 5.1 current transfers—other payments by households debits). The ONS estimates remittances at 75 per cent. of the published total of private transfers. The data for the years 2003-5 are as follows:
	
		
			  £ billion 
			   2003  2004  2005 
			  Outward
			 Private transfers—total 3.84 4.08 4.62 
			 Private transfers—remittances(1) 2.88 3.06 3.47 
			 
			  Inward
			 Private transfers—total 2.71 2.67 2.72 
			 Private transfers—remittances(1) 2.03 2.00 2.04 
			 (1 )Estimated at 75 per cent. of the total 
		
	
	Alternative estimates of the size of UK remittance market can be found in the report of the UK Remittances Working Group(1), established in 2004 by the Department for International Development (DFID).
	(1 )Available at www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/uk-remittances-report .pdf

Under-fives

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many children are presently aged under five years; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 20 October 2006:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your question concerning how many children are presently aged under five years. (95564)
	The latest available data for the UK are the mid-2005 population estimates. The total number of children in the UK aged 0 to 4 years in mid-2005 was 3,427,500.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Arms Exports

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what licences have been granted for exports of military equipment and parts to  (a) Burma,  (b) China,  (c) North Korea,  (d) Iran,  (e) Russia,  (f) Saudi Arabia and  (g) Zimbabwe in each of the last three years.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government publish detailed information on their export licensing decisions, including summary description of items covered by the export licence issued, by destination, in their annual and quarterly reports on strategic export controls. Copies of the Government's annual reports are available from the Libraries of the House and at http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/Show/Page&c=Page&cid=1007029395474.
	The Government have published quarterly reports on strategic export controls since January 2004. Copies of the quarterly reports are available at the DTI Export Control Organisation website at http://www.dti.gov.uk/europeandtrade/strategic-export-control/licensing-rating/statistics/issued-refused-revoked/index.html.

Civil Nuclear Security

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has asked the Director of Civil Nuclear Security to investigate the adequacy of the transport security statement attached to the consignment of irradiated nuclear fuel involved in the incident in which a fake bomb was placed on a train carrying spent nuclear fuel in a siding in north-west London.

Malcolm Wicks: The transportation of spent nuclear fuel is carried out in a secure manner, in accordance with stringent security regulations—the Nuclear Industries Security Regulations 2003 (NISR). These regulations are administered and enforced by the Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS), which regulates the security of such movements of spent nuclear fuel.
	OCNS has carried out a thorough investigation of the incident referred to. This investigation included reviewing the existing Transport Security Statement (TSS) for Direct Rail Services (DRS), the nuclear rail freight operating company in question. While as a result of the investigation some minor amendments to the TSS have been made, OCNS remains satisfied that standards detailed within that TSS were sufficiently robust to prevent the theft or sabotage of nuclear material and that DRS was fully compliant with the TSS at that time.

Civil Nuclear Security

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many staff from the UK Atomic Energy Authority have been seconded to the Office for Civil Nuclear Security to assist in vetting; what contractual arrangements cover the secondments; and over what time period the secondments have been agreed.

Malcolm Wicks: Two members of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) have been seconded to the Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS) to assist in the vetting process. They are on UKAEA Dounreay site establishment and will only be employed on the processing of UKAEA clearances. Both individuals are on two year Fixed Term Appointments (1 March 2006 to 28 February 2008). On a day-to-day basis they are managed directly by OCNS.

Coal Industry

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions he has had with senior executives in the coal industry; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: As Minister for Energy I have regular discussions with coal industry executives. Most recently, coal industry representatives were present at a meeting on 9 October preparatory to a first meeting of the Coal Forum which is planned for 14 November 2006.

Coal-fired Stations

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many coal-fired power stations in the UK conform to the requirements of the waste incineration directive concerning the burning of non-fossil fuel.

Malcolm Wicks: There is one coal-fired (and other fuels) power generating station in the UK that has been authorised as meeting the requirements of the waste incineration directive.

Departmental Childcare Facilities

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what childcare  (a) provision and  (b) assistance is available to his Department's staff.

Jim Fitzpatrick: DTI staff in central London have access to a 32-place holiday play-scheme in our 1 Victoria Street building, which is highly rated by both parents and children for its quality. DTI HQ staff in Cardiff have access to a local holiday play-scheme, which is situated within a school.
	Costs for the Department for the holiday play scheme in 2005-06 were £59,936. They were £14 per day per child for an employee using the holiday play-scheme in London and £12 in Cardiff. Each play-scheme place is subsidised by the Department, the full daily rate being £31 in London and £24 in Cardiff.
	In April 2006 the DTI introduced the Salary Sacrifice scheme, which is available to all parents and carers, and enables them to make savings on their child care fees.
	The Department is fully committed to providing an employment package which supports working parents and carers. DTI provision is set within the wider context of an ambitious programme to support flexible working at all grades. The DTI consults its staff and unions regularly on these issues. The DTI's clear support for working parents has enabled us, over the last decade, to retain many talented parents who might otherwise have left the workplace.
	The DTI does not hold long-term waiting list for places for the DTI play-schemes. If the DTI play-schemes are over subscribed on any given day, a list of requests for that date is kept on a first come first served basis. If a place becomes available, the place is offered to the next child on the list.

Departmental Childcare Facilities

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which of his Department's premises have childcare facilities on site.

Jim Fitzpatrick: DTI staff in central London have access to a 32-two place holiday play-scheme in our 1 Victoria street building. DTI HQ staff in Cardiff have access to a local holiday play-scheme, which is situated within a school.

Energy Liabilities Committee

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many meetings the energy liabilities committee had with  (a) the Union of Democratic Mineworkers and  (b) Vendside in (i) 1998 and (ii) 1999.

Malcolm Wicks: The Energy Liabilities Committee met neither the Union of Democratic Mineworkers nor Vendside in 1998 or 1999.

Energy Liabilities Committee

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the terms of reference were of the energy liabilities committee; which civil servants sat on the committee; and what powers were delegated to the committee by Ministers.

Malcolm Wicks: The Energy Liabilities Committee's terms of reference were to provide corporate governance over the Department's full range of energy related liabilities.
	The Energy Liabilities Committee was comprised of DTI civil servants: it was chaired by the Deputy Director for Energy and made up of staff from Finance and Energy Directorates.

Energy Saving Schemes

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to increase publicity for energy saving schemes designed for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government are already supporting a range of activities seeking to promote energy saving schemes to small and medium-sized enterprises. The Carbon Trust, the independent company set up and funded by the Government to help businesses cut their carbon emissions and increase their energy efficiency, has run an extensive communications programme to publicise its services to small and medium-sized enterprises. Its main campaign of 2006—"Carbon Costs"—targeted this group in particular. The campaign highlighted the 20 per cent. of financial savings most enterprises can make through low and no-cost energy saving measures, as well as the environmental benefits of reducing carbon emissions. It ran on national television and other media and was one of the largest campaigns of its kind focused on small and medium-sized enterprises ever seen in the UK.
	The Carbon Trust also promotes interest-free energy saving loans to small and medium-sized enterprises and has significant campaigns planned in this area through the remainder of 2006 and into 2007. I understand that the trust will continue to promote the financial and environmental benefits of energy saving to this group and is planning significant promotional activity at similar levels to this year through 2007 and 2008.

Energy Technologies Institute

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which companies have committed themselves as partners in the new energy technologies institute recently launched by his Department; what financial commitments have been made by each company; and over what periods the financial commitments apply.

Malcolm Wicks: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry published the Prospectus for the Energy Technologies Institute on 14 September. It is envisaged that around 10 core industry partners will be required for this public-private partnership, each committed to making an equal contribution of up to £5 million per year for up to 10 years to match the Government's commitment. Four of the world's biggest energy companies have already offered support—BP, E.ON UK, Shell and EDF Energy.

Energy Technologies Institute

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which  (a) institutions and  (b) businesses based in Wales have been invited to participate in the new Energy Technologies Institute.

Malcolm Wicks: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry published a Prospectus for the Energy Technologies Institute on 14 September. It was prepared in collaboration with the four companies that have already agreed to be involved (BP, E.ON UK, EDF and Shell), and aims to seek broader participation and wider views from organisations and businesses across the UK, and beyond. To date four organisations from Wales have responded: one large company, two SMEs and one NGO.

Energy Technologies Institute

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many applications were received from interested parties to attend his Department's Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) open information event held on 11 October; how many attended the event; and what follow-up events are planned to take forward the development of the ETI.

Jim Fitzpatrick: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry published a Prospectus for the Energy Technologies Institute on 14 September. It included an invitation to attend an open information event on 11 October. Some 230 individual expressions of interest were received. Over 150 participants attended the event. A note of the questions and answers will be circulated to all interested parties, and will be the first of a series of information bulletins to be distributed to this community of interest. At present no follow-up events are planned.

Gas Network

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many households in each constituency in the north-east region are not connected to the gas network.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government do not hold detailed information about access to the gas network. The DTI's regional consumption statistics include information about the number of gas meters relative to the number of households in areas within north-east England. These statistics give some indication of levels of penetration of the gas network. The statistics maybe accessed at http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file27542.xls.

Healthcare Sector

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions his Department has had with officials from  (a) the European Commission and  (b) the Governments of other EU member states to discuss the liberalisation of the health care sector.

Ian McCartney: The UK considers public services to be excluded from the WTO's General Agreement on Trade in Services in respect of both UK public services and those of other WTO members. In addition, the UK's ability to maintain public health and education services is guaranteed by the fact that Governments can choose in which sectors and to what extent to make commitments.
	The Department is engaged in ongoing discussions with the European Commission and other EU member states with regard to liberalisation across a broad cross-section of service sectors.

Low Carbon Buildings Programme

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the funding in real terms will be for  (a) solar photovoltaics and  (b) all other microrenewable technologies under the Low Carbon Building Programme; and what the total funding was for each under the Clearskies and Solar Photovoltaics initiatives which preceded it.

Malcolm Wicks: The Low Carbon Buildings Programme Phase One, with a budget of £28.5 million, covers a range of technologies. Stream Two operated on a first come, first served basis, and Stream Two operates on a competitive basis.
	Currently we do not earmark specific funding for the different technologies so it is not possible to state what the level of funding will be for solar photovoltaics compared to other renewable technologies. However, we will continue to review funding support going forward.
	Under Clear Skies the total funding was £13.25 million and under the Major PV programme the total funding was £31.75 million. In addition, Phase Two of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme, which is currently being finalised, will provide a further £50 million.

Microgeneration

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the technical changes that would need to be made to the national electricity distribution grid to accommodate the growth of micro-generation; and what estimate he has made of the cost of such changes.

Malcolm Wicks: A study carried out by the Energy Saving Trust on behalf of the DTI (Potential for Microgeneration: Study and Analysis) assessed the implications of substantial microgeneration on the UK electricity system. This built on an earlier study carried out for the DTI by Mott MacDonald (System Integration of Additional Microgeneration). The EST report suggests that, for relatively high export levels, the costs could be anywhere between £122 million and £240 million.
	The Energy Review Report announced that the DTI and Ofgem will lead a review of the incentives and barriers to distributed electricity generation including CHP, which will report in the first half of 2007. Among other issues, this work will look at economic and other incentives on distributed network operators to connect new generators and to upgrade distribution networks in order to accommodate increasing amounts of distributed generation (including microgeneration).

Microgeneration

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much public money was spent on microregeneration in each of the last 20 years; and what the projected budgets are for each of the next three years.

Malcolm Wicks: Government support towards the installation of microgeneration technologies began in 2000. Details of spend to date are as follows:
	
		
			   Spend (£ million) 
			 2000-01 0.2 
			 2001-02 0.5 
			 2002-03 4.2 
			 2003-04 6.7 
			 2004-05 11. 3 
			 2005-06 13.5 
			 2006-07 5.7 
		
	
	It is anticipated that the remaining £12.9 million from the legacy scheme budgets will be drawn down by March 2007.

Miners' Compensation

Dennis Skinner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many claims for  (a) miners' hearing loss,  (b) vibration white finger and  (c) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have been paid in Bolsover constituency in each of the last seven years.

Malcolm Wicks: The number of payments that have been made for miners hearing loss (NIHL), vibration white finger (VWF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) claims in the Bolsover constituency is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   NIHL  VWF  COPD 
			 2000 326 72 219 
			 2001 807 332 655 
			 2002 409 581 1,043 
			 2003 206 955 1,971 
			 2004 147 934 1,596 
			 2005 171 1,102 2,575 
			 2006 80 934 1,529

Ministerial Visits

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on how many occasions he has visited  (a) Scotland,  (b) Wales and  (c) Northern Ireland in the last 12 months.

Alistair Darling: My predecessor and I have made the following visits as Secretaries of State to the Department of Trade and Industry on ministerial business in the last 12 months:
	 (a) Scotland—four
	 (b) Wales—none
	 (c) Northern Ireland—none

Nuclear Power

Michael Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which public bodies have submitted information to his Department indicating which existing nuclear power stations could be co-located with a further nuclear power station.

Malcolm Wicks: A number of responses were received to the Energy Review consultation from public bodies. These responses, and all others made during the consultation, are available on the Department's website.
	The consultation responses are available at www.dti.gov.uk/energv/review/consultation-submissions/page27883.html.

Nuclear Power

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what  (a) primary and  (b) secondary legislation is required to permit private companies to construct nuclear power plants.

Malcolm Wicks: Permission to construct onshore power stations of any type with a capacity of greater than 50 MW is granted by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989.

Oil Industry

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of the UK's Compulsory Stocking Obligations for crude oil and refined products were held overseas through bilateral agreements in 2005; and with which countries the UK has a bilateral agreement on Compulsory Stocking Obligations for crude oil and refined products.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 19 October 2006
	At 31 December 2005 the UK held 12.3 million tonnes equivalent of crude oil and refined products towards its oil stocking obligations of 11.3 million tonnes. Of this, 1.7 million tonnes, or some 15 per cent., were held overseas under bilateral agreements.
	The UK has formal bilateral agreements with Ireland, Sweden and the Netherlands. We have negotiated a formal agreement with Denmark which will be signed later this year, and are negotiating formal agreements with Finland and Belgium. We also have informal agreements with Belgium and France.

Oil Industry

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the costs to  (a) UK oil refiners,  (b) fuel suppliers delivering above 100,000 tonnes and  (c) consumers of fuel of the removal of the UK derogation on the compulsory stocking obligation provided by EU Directive 2006/67/EC.

Malcolm Wicks: EU member states are required to hold oil stocks equal to 90 days' consumption, for use in the event of disruption of global oil supplies. The UK, as a producer, has a derogation reducing its obligation by 25 per cent. and therefore currently has an obligation to hold stocks equal to 67.5 days' consumption. As UK production declines, the derogation will be phased out. This will be a gradual process. We expect the full 25 per cent. derogation to continue until UK crude oil production falls below 25 per cent. of refinery demand, which on current trends will be between 2010 and 2015, and the full 90 days' obligation to be reached when UK production ends. We have not estimated the precise cost to the parties mentioned, but the overall cost of complying with the obligation will increase over time by some 33 per cent. and following a public consultation we are working with industry on a new basis for our stocking system which will ensure that the UK can continue to meet its obligations in future.

Oil Industry

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what effect the UK's status as a net importer of crude oil has on the UK derogation on the compulsory stocking obligation provided by EU Directive 2006/67/EC; and when he expects the derogation to be removed.

Malcolm Wicks: The UK derogation reducing by 25 per cent. its EU obligation to hold oil stocks for use in the event of disruption of global oil supplies is based on its status as a producer, not as a net exporter. We expect the full derogation to continue until UK crude oil production falls below 25 per cent. of refinery demand, which on current trends will be between 2010 and 2015, and the full 90 days' obligation to be reached when UK production ends.
	Once we become a net importer of crude oil and oil products combined the UK will also have an obligation to hold stocks as a member of the International Energy Agency. Countries with EU and IEA obligations can use the same stocks to meet both obligations. EU obligations are based on consumption and IEA obligations on net imports, and meeting both obligations will not involve a net increase beyond the increase in the EU obligation until towards the end of UK production.

Peterborough Renewable Energy Ltd

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects the public inquiry into Peterborough Renewable Energy Ltd's plans for a sustainable resource and recycling facility at land off Storeys Bar road in Peterborough to take place; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Arrangements for the public inquiry are in hand and the details will be announced as soon as they are finalised.

Radioacrive Waste

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what criteria he plans to use to calculate the full share of costs incurred to manage radioactive waste arising from prospective new build reactors in order to recover these costs from the operators.

Malcolm Wicks: The final report of the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management was published on 31 July 2006. The Government and Devolved Administrations will respond in a formal statement to Parliament, setting out how work to manage long-term waste will be taken forward. The long-term waste management solution developed by Government will factor in waste from new build including an assessment of how new build waste would affect the cost of delivering the national waste management solution.
	The Energy Review Report 'The Energy Challenge', presented to Parliament on 11 July 2006, established that private developers of new nuclear power stations will meet their full share of long-term waste management costs. The Government intend to appoint an individual with senior management or financial experience of major capital investment projects to lead the development of arrangements for the costs associated with new build waste management.

Renewable Energy

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of the UK's electricity is produced from renewable energy sources.

Malcolm Wicks: In 2005 the amount of renewable generation from sources eligible under the renewables obligation was 4 per cent. and for all renewable sources the figure was 4.22 per cent.

Renewable Energy

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much Government spent on renewables in each of the last 20 years; and what estimate he has made of the level of private investment in renewables over the same period.

Malcolm Wicks: It would entail disproportionate cost to identify how much was spent by Government on research, grants and subsidies to promote renewable energy in each of the last 20 years. However, the Government are investing around £500 million between 2002 and 2008 in capital grants, research and development into renewables and other low carbon technologies. Money that has already been allocated includes: £117 million in capital grants for round 1 offshore wind farms; approximately £66 million for biomass capital grants; £31 million for Solar PV; around £19 million a year for industry-led R and D and over £50 million for Marine Renewables, £42 million of which has been earmarked to kick start the construction of large scale demonstration wave and tidal demonstration projects around the UK.
	It should be added that the Chancellor announced in this year's Budget a further £50 million, on top of the £30 million that I had previously announced, for the Low Carbon Building Programme, which supports microgeneration and energy efficiency measures.
	A breakdown of the spend on renewables each year from 1990-91 is however available. I refer the hon. Member to my reply on 12 September 2005,  Official Report, column 2262W to the hon. Member for Leominster (Bill Wiggin).
	With regard to private investment in renewables over the 20 year period, the Government have made no estimate.

Sustainable Buildings

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the Low Carbon Buildings Programme budget is for household installations in 2006-07; and how much of that year's funding has been allocated.

Malcolm Wicks: The budget for year one of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme household stream is £3.5 million. To date, £3.56 million has been committed to successful projects on the basis that past experience leads us to believe that not all these projects will go forward as expected.

Sustainable Buildings

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the household stream of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme is able to meet demand for grants.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 17 October 2006
	Under the Low Carbon Buildings Programme, we have currently committed £3.5 million towards 1,948 projects.
	We are aware that demand has been higher than anticipated, and are reviewing the funding available for the household stream going forward.

Sustainable Buildings

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the Low Carbon Buildings Programme budget for household installations is in  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 2008-09.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 17 October 2006
	The budgets for the household stream of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme in years two and three are as follows:
	
		
			   Budget (£ million) 
			 2007-08 2.0 
			 2008-09 1.0

Wind Farms

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which of his Department's  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials attended the annual conference of the British Wind Energy Association in Glasgow on 10 to 12 October; and if he will place in the Library copies of (i) speeches and (ii) documents presented to the conference by the Department.

Malcolm Wicks: No Ministers attended this year's BWEA conference.
	However, the officials from this Department who attended the conference at various times during the three days were the Head of Energy Development Unit and the Deputy Director Renewables Policy and Development, along with eight staff from the 2010 target team and two staff from the Renewables Obligation team.
	DTI officials made two presentations, one on "DTPs approach to aviation issues" and one on "Offshore electricity transmission". Copies of the slides will be made available in the Library of the House. Other events officials took part in included chairing four of the conference sessions covering aviation, economics and finance and offshore consenting and environmental research and attending workshops and meetings with members of the wind industry.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animal Welfare

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how the Government monitor the welfare of animals exported for slaughter abroad.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government are committed to the welfare of all animals during transport. Transporters involved in exports must be authorised and submit route plans before all export journeys. These plans are checked to ensure compliance with journey times before journeys may start.
	All animals are inspected by a local veterinary inspector prior to loading at the departure premises to ensure the animals meet health requirements and are fit for the intended journey. The State Veterinary Service also carries out additional random and targeted checks during loading at the departure premises or the port of departure.
	New European Union (EU)-wide welfare in transport rules will come into force in January 2007 under Council Regulation No 1/2005. The UK supported the new regulation as it contains much to help improve animal welfare in transport, such as improved enforcement, and new training and authorisation procedures.

Animal Welfare

Gwyn Prosser: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many consignments of calves were exported from Dover on 11 October 2006; how many calves were included in each consignment; what the final destination of each consignment was; how long elapsed between the arrival of each consignment at Dover docks and the departure of the ship with the calves on board; why the departure of the ship was delayed; what proportion of the calves were still on a milk diet; whether the calves were provided with food and liquid while waiting at Dover docks to be loaded on to the ship; for what reason the calves were not taken to be unloaded and given food, liquid and rest; whether any calf was destroyed at Dover docks; whether the calves were unloaded and given food, liquid and 24 hours' rest after their arrival on the continent; and what arrangements he plans to put in place to prevent further lengthy delays at Dover docks.

Ben Bradshaw: On 11 October, there were six vehicles carrying 14 consignments of calves (totalling 1,167 animals). The consignments were destined for Belgium, France and Spain and spent between nine and a half and 15 hours at Dover port.
	The ship's departure was delayed for a number of reasons. Its sailing from Dover was originally delayed owing to the late arrival of a vehicle. The vessel then had to leave its berth to accommodate another ferry and, on its return, had to wait for the tide to rise sufficiently for the loading ramp to be used. At Dunkerque, a further delay was caused when the pilot was diverted to other essential duties. On return to Dover, staff from the State Veterinary Service (SVS) re-examined the animals to check their condition before departure. Before this check could be completed, the vessel had to leave berth again to accommodate a ferry before the calves could finally be loaded and the ship could depart.
	All the calves were considered to be unweaned. During the morning, SVS staff at Dover considered that they needed to be fed and offered liquid. However, there is no staging point in the south-east and no facility within the port to make up warm milk formula. No single UK staging point could take all the animals so the vehicles were sent to the nearest suitable staging point or destination, as appropriate. Four vehicles were served with notices to proceed to a staging point close to the port of arrival and unload the animals for 24 hours' rest, feed and water. Checks are being carried out to confirm if the vehicles went to the staging point as directed. If they did not, it would be an offence.
	One calf was humanely destroyed at Dover because it was in a state of collapse.
	SVS staff are working with local authority enforcement officers to determine appropriate enforcement action and potential offences committed. We will also be addressing the broader issues of effective communication and contingency planning with those engaged in the live calf export trade.

Buncefield

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the presentation given by the Environment Agency to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he visited the Buncefield site on 18 July 2006.

Ian Pearson: I will arrange for copies of the Environment Agency presentation, given to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on her visit to the Buncefield oil storage depot, to be placed in the Library of the House.

Coastal Erosion

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent to protect the coastline from erosion in  (a) Scarborough and Whitby constituency,  (b) East Yorkshire constituency and  (c) Beverley and Holderness constituency in each of the last five years.

Ian Pearson: DEFRA has overall policy responsibility for coastal erosion risk in England and funds coastal local authorities to support their investment in capital improvement works. Additional funding is provided by the Department for Communities and Local Government in the form of revenue support grant, which supports local authority maintenance and running costs to protect against coastal erosion.
	Capital funding support provided by DEFRA is as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Constituency  (a) Scarborough and Whitby  (b) East Yorkshire  (c) Beverley and Holderness 
			  Local authority  Scarborough borough council  East Riding of Yorkshire  East Riding of Yorkshire 
			 2001-02 5.7 0 1.8 
			 2002-03 17.5 0 0.4 
			 2003-04 10.3 0 0.1 
			 2004-05 9.9 0 2.6 
			 2005-06 12.7 0 0.1 
		
	
	Funding is not recorded on a constituency basis, but projects funded have been attributed to constituencies on the basis of the local authority responsible.
	This funding represents a mix of direct grant and Supported Capital Expenditure (Revenue) for projects promoted under the Coast Protection Act 1949. These are projects designed to protect against coastal erosion, but they often have significant benefits in terms of reducing flood risk from the sea as well. Funding for a particular council will often vary considerably from one year to another, depending on the capital improvement projects in progress at any particular stage.

Eight-day Rule

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received on the application of the eight-day rule as regards auction marts; and if he will assess the merits of revising or lifting the eight-day rule.

Ben Bradshaw: I presume the hon. Member is referring to the six-day standstill rule for livestock.
	I have received no representations on this matter. Livestock moving to auction markets do not trigger a six-day standstill on arrival at a market. But in order to balance the significant disease risk that results from animals from different sources mixing at a market, animals are only permitted to move to a market if the farm from which they originate is not under a standstill (20 days for pigs or six days for other species).
	This rule is waived where the market is a dedicated slaughter market. In this case the livestock must go from the market direct to slaughter. The disease risk is accordingly less than if the stock were dispersed to other farms.
	The standstill which applies to farm premises is based on a scientific Cost Benefit Analysis of the disease risks associated with various standstill lengths. I do not propose to amend the standstill regime, which represents the best available balance between minimising disease risk and the needs of the farming community to trade livestock.

Energy Performance Certificate

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the external costs of fuels have been incorporated into the energy performance certificate energy rating price signals.

Ian Pearson: The Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) will be used to determine the energy performance indicators to be included in the Energy Performance Certificate. One of those indicators will be the SAP Rating, a fuel cost based indicator of a dwelling's energy efficiency.
	The fuel prices used reflect the fuel costs alone. They do not include externalities, such as the costs associated with undertaking safety inspections or servicing heating equipment. These external costs vary considerably across the country and are generally incurred on a voluntary basis by consumers—the exception being landlord safety checks on gas equipment.

Environmental Fines

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the proportionality of the fines levied on those convicted of environmental offences to the offences committed; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: DEFRA has been leading an interdepartmental "Review of Enforcement in Environmental Regulation". This has involved consideration of the proportionality of fines levied on those convicted of environmental offences. The review's conclusions are available on DEFRA's website at www.defra.gov.uk/environment/enforcement.

Exotic Animals

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  if he will bring forward legislation to tackle imbalance between public and private funding in relation to dealing with exotic animal diseases;
	(2)  if he will assess the merits of a levy on the exotic animal industry to generate funds to help tackle the threat of exotic animal diseases.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government are continuing to work with industry representatives and others on the appropriate balance of costs and responsibilities associated with animal health and welfare. This work includes the need to bring forward legislation which would include, as part of the overall package, arrangements for the future funding of exotic disease outbreaks.

Flood Defences

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been spent on flood defences in each of the last 20 years.

Ian Pearson: The following table shows (a) Environment Agency spending on flood defences (excluding flood warning systems, (b) DEFRA funding to local authorities and internal drainage boards for capital flood risk improvement projects, and (c) local authority own spend and levies to internal drainage boards for flood risk management, some or all of which will have been spent on flood defences.
	The latter (c) is largely supported by revenue support grant from the Department for Communities and Local Government. I regret figures prior to 1997-98 either are not available or could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   (a) Environment Agency spend  (b) DEFRA funding for local authority/internal drainage board capital improvement projects  (c) Local authority own spend and levies to internal drainage boards  Total 
			 1997-98 287.9 4.9 29.7 322.5 
			 1998-99 285.6 3.3 32.1 321.0 
			 1999-2000 294.3 3.5 33.9 331.7 
			 2000-01 302.1 4.3 43.7 350.1 
			 2001-02 333.9 6.5 44.9 385.3 
			 2002-03 341.5 13.7 45.7 400.9 
			 2003-04 385.7 8.6 41.5 435.8 
			 2004-05 425.5 9.2 45.6 480.3 
			 2005-06 505.2 9.6 46.9 561.7

GM Crops

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what threshold has been set for acceptable levels of cross-contamination from genetically modified crops.

Ian Pearson: Under European Union law, crops or individual product ingredients are exempted from carrying a genetically modified (GM) label if they have an adventitious or technically unavoidable presence of an approved GM organism below 0.9 per cent.

Pollution Incident

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the  (a) causes,  (b) extent and  (c) consequences were of the recent incident of Thames Water polluting a stretch of Dagenham Brook in Waltham Forest; what remedial activity was undertaken; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: Thames Water Utilities Ltd has pleaded guilty to polluting a controlled watercourse—Dagenham Brook—on 8 August 2005 with poisonous, noxious or polluting matter under section 85 of the Water Resources Act 1991.
	Thames Water had failed to maintain storm tanks which allowed sewage to pour into the river through holes in the joints between precast concrete sections which made up the tank walls. These joints contained a sealing compound, which had failed in a number of places.
	The sewage contaminated nearly two miles of the Dagenham Brook, which then discharges in the River Lee at New Spitalfields Market, in Leyton.
	The impact on the river was significant; the river was a cloudy grey colour and there was a strong sewage smell along the affected stretch of the river. Dissolved oxygen levels in the river at Leabridge Road were recorded as 2.4 per cent. The minimum level of dissolved oxygen necessary to sustain fish life is typically around 25 to 30 per cent.
	A fleet of tankers worked for three days to remove the sewage from the river at two locations, Orient Way and New Spitalfields Market, in Leyton, which although failing to reduce the impact on Dagenham Brook did alleviate the problem in the River Lee.
	Once the storm tanks were identified as the source of the pollution Thames Water began to drain them down to prevent further pollution.

Roadkill

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the Government's  (a) policy,  (b) practice and  (c) procedures are on the collection of corpses of wildlife killed by road traffic.

Ben Bradshaw: The Highways Agency is responsible for the clearance of the trunk road and motorway network in England following accidents or other incidents, including collisions involving animals and vehicles.
	The guidance for responding to incidents comes from the Highways Agency's Trunk Road Maintenance Manual (Volume 2: Routine and Winter Maintenance Code, paragraph 1.2.3 and 1.12.3), which requires the provision of facilities to
	"...clear the highway following an accident/spillage, or any other incident, which requires attendance under emergency conditions..."
	It also states:
	"Debris encountered by inspectors and other maintenance personnel in traffic lanes and on hard shoulders, and which constitutes an immediate hazard, shall be removed immediately, if reasonably practical."
	Local highway authorities are responsible for all other roads, which includes the collection of animal corpses. There is no instruction to them as to actual methods, but they tend to follow guidance set out in the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges Volume 10, and the Highways Agency's Manual of Contract Documents for Highways Works.

Warm Front Programme

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many pensioners have had central heating installed  (a) for free and  (b) with a £300 discount in each constituency since inception of the scheme.

Ian Pearson: A table showing the number of pensioner households, by constituency, that have benefited from the installation of free(1) central heating since the start of Warm Front in June 2000 has been placed in the Library of the House.
	(1) Warm Front provides free central heating up to the value of £2,700, or £4,000 in the case of oil central heating. If the cost of the work is higher than this, the Warm Front applicant may be required to pay an excess.

Water Bills

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to assist those in the South West who are on low incomes with payment of their water bills.

Ian Pearson: A pilot study is currently under way in the South West which seeks to target water affordability assistance to low income households. It is looking at the combined impacts of several measures on water affordability, including benefit entitlement checks, meter installation and water efficiency measures. The results of the study are expected in summer 2007.
	DEFRA is also working with water companies and Ofwat to look at the distributional impact of tariffs on low income households. We expect the results of this work towards the end of 2006.
	Householders in metered properties may be eligible for assistance under the Vulnerable Groups Regulations 1999 if:
	they receive certain income related benefits, and either
	have, or have a dependant who lives with, a medical condition requiring additional use of water, or
	have three or more children.
	If eligible, a household's water bill will be capped at the average for that region.

Water Companies

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of annual turnover is the maximum fine that Ofwat may impose on a water utility company.

Ian Pearson: Section 48 of the Water Act 2003 provides enforcement authorities (the Secretary of State, the National Assembly for Wales and Ofwat) with powers to impose civil financial penalties on water and sewerage companies for certain breaches and contraventions.
	Under this Act Ofwat is able to fine companies up to 10 per cent. of their annual turnover. Any financial penalty is paid into the Treasury's consolidated fund.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment has been made of the level of interdependence between the  (a) illicit and  (b) legitimate economy in Afghanistan.

Kim Howells: A number of studies have investigated the linkages between the illicit and the legal economies in Afghanistan. The World Bank Country Economic Report "Afghanistan: State Building, Sustaining Growth and Reducing Poverty" and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Selected Issues Paper 2006: "Macroeconomic Impact of the Drug Economy and Counter-Narcotics Efforts" suggest that the opium economy is a major source of investment in durable goods, housing, construction and trade. Income generated in the illicit sector fuels higher consumption (spending) in the economy, creating more demand for locally produced goods and imports. However, they also emphasise that the negative effects of the opium economy—insecurity, diminished respect for the rule of law and weak state institutions—undermine the investment climate and reduce the prospects for equitable and sustained growth. Furthermore, a large part of the income generated by exporting opium is invested abroad by traffickers, which is effectively 'capital flight' out of the country. The IMF and the World Bank conclude that, in economic terms, the drug trade causes more damage than benefit to the Afghan economy. It is worth noting since 2002 the growth of the licit sector at double digit rates has meant that opium as a share of total economic activity has declined from nearly 40 per cent. to just over 25 per cent.

Afghanistan

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what infrastructure projects and improvements to public services have been implemented since the British involvement in Afghanistan began in 2001.

Hilary Benn: I have been asked to reply.
	Since 2001, DFID has spent over £390 million on reconstruction and development in Afghanistan. Over this period there has been real progress. Regarding infrastructure, major road rehabilitation is connecting major urban centres and Afghanistan with its neighbours. Reliable electricity supply is being restored. The telecommunications sector is growing fast, connecting businesses and people in Afghanistan. Public services are also improving. There are now 60 per cent. more functioning health clinics, 35,000 lives have been saved from routine immunisations, 6 million children have returned to school, over a third of them girls, and 13,000 girls' and boys' primary and secondary schools have been built. Over 60,000 police have been trained over this period.
	DFID contributes a large proportion of its support through the Government budget. In 2006-07 75 per cent. of our £102 million budget will be channelled in this way. This helps the Government implement their own infrastructure and public service plans. DFID also specifically supports the National Rural Access Programme (£18 million) which is helping to build essential infrastructure such as irrigation schemes, roads and bridges. Under this programme nearly 8,000 km of roads have been built or repaired, as well as schools, health clinics and water schemes. The programme has also generated over 13 million days of labour. Additionally, DFID support for the National Solidarity Programme (£17 million) is helping local communities through elected Community Development Councils (CDCs) to identify what development is most needed in their areas and then receive grants to undertake their work. The programme has funded over 17,000 projects in the areas of agriculture, education, health, irrigation, power supply, transport and water supply.

Afghanistan

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what her assessment is of the effectiveness of international training and recruitment programmes for Afghan  (a) police and  (b) soldiers.

Kim Howells: Germany has been leading efforts to train and reform the Afghan National Police with assistance from the US. Since August 2002, there have been some considerable achievements. Over 50,000 police of all ranks and branches have been trained at the re-established Police Academy and at five regional training centres. A pay and rank review is under way, aiming to reduce the current top-heavy structure and raise police salaries in order to attract the best candidates. An international conference on border management and police was co-hosted by Afghanistan and Germany in Qatar in February. It endorsed the finding that replenishment of the Law and Order Trust Fund, used to partly fund police salaries, was critical to the success of police pay and rank reform. We support this finding and the valuable work that the international community, in particular Germany and the US, are putting into police training and reform.
	The Afghan National Army has been built almost from scratch since 2001 and we are still in early stages of training and mentoring. Nevertheless, there has been good progress on the training of soldiers: over 28,000 Afghan troops have now been recruited and trained at the Kabul Military Training Centre. The Afghan Minister for Defence recently announced that the five Regional Commands are now operational and there are now 34,000 soldiers, NCOs and officers in the Afghan National Army (ANA). Already the ANA is regularly contributing to resolving conflicts in the UK sectors and we will continue to work closely with it to build its capacity.

Afghanistan

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what  (a) financial assistance and  (b) advice is given by the Government to the Ministry of Women's Affairs in Afghanistan.

Kim Howells: The Government give no direct financial or advisory support to the Ministry of Women's Affairs in Afghanistan. The UK is working with other international donors to support the Afghan Government to define their development strategy for the next five years (the Afghan National Development Strategy). Gender equality is a key theme and the UK is actively working to ensure gender equality issues are fully integrated into the strategy's benchmarks and outputs. Separately, the UK provides £2.25 million in funding for seven projects aimed at improving gender equality throughout Afghanistan. These include the BBC World Service's Pashtun Service Woman's Hour Programme, Womankind's Women Empowerment Programme and ActionAid's Afghan Women Programme.

Afghanistan

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps officials in her Department have taken to promote the representation of women on community development councils in Afghanistan.

Hilary Benn: I have been asked to reply.
	A review of the Afghan Government National Solidarity Programme (NSP) assessed in detail women's inclusion in the Community Development Councils (CDCs) that had been established under the programme. The review found that to date there had been insufficient women's participation in the processes of community decision-making and project implementation, and limited allocation of project funds for women. Slow progress in the area of women's participation was attributed mainly to cultural opposition. In some cases only small and unsustainable projects for women were accepted by the communities. However, gradual change is occurring as the NSP gains community acceptance.
	In response to the review, DFID has endorsed the recommendation for more effort to be placed on improving women's participation, but this has to be done gradually to ensure communities do not respond negatively. DFID has also endorsed the recommendation that, where necessary, female-only CDCs can be created. Those female-only CDCs that have already been established have become a forum for discussion on other relevant issues (health, domestic violence, literacy, etc.) that women could not discuss openly before in some mixed gender CDCs.
	One case highlighted in a forthcoming DFID publication of a success story in Afghanistan is that of Aqilah Jan, who is a chair of the CDC in Ghor Province. She believes in the three years since the CDCs started, there have been many changes for women. Many girls are encouraged to go to school and five women are in the CDC and four in the Provincial Council.

Afghanistan

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how she expects the level of opium production in Afghanistan to change in the next 12 months.

Kim Howells: The planting season will begin in the south and east of Afghanistan in the next few weeks. Farmers' decisions on whether or not to plant opium poppy are complex. Economic factors are the main incentive but other factors such as insecurity and weak governance also play a role. While there was a significant increase in the total poppy production this year, in areas of Afghanistan where access to governance, security and development has improved, reductions achieved in 2005 were sustained and in some cases improved upon.
	The Government of Afghanistan are undertaking an extensive pre-planting information campaign to dissuade fanners from growing poppy. It is, however, too early to predict the levels of production for next year.

Bangladesh

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the operation of immunity from prosecution for certain sectors of society, including parts of the armed forces, in Bangladesh; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We understand that subsequent to "Operation Clean Heart", a joint operation carried out by the Bangladeshi Army together with other security forces in 2002, constitutional immunity was enacted retrospectively, in relation to a significant number of deaths in custody. We support the right of the Bangladeshi Government to take legitimate measures to maintain law and order, but impunity in the law enforcement and security forces remains an issue of serious concern. The Rapid Action Battalion, a joint civilian/military unit that has wide Bangladeshi Government and public support, continues to be involved in "cross-fire" incidents which have often resulted in the death of suspects being apprehended.
	We expect all law enforcement agencies to abide by the rule of law at all times. The Government are working with the Government of Bangladesh to help address the general issue of over-aggressive behaviour by the Bangladeshi police. The Department for International Development will contribute £5 million over three years to a UN Development Programme project which aims to review and modernise the police training curricula. In February, the UK funded a programme of Ethical Investigation Training sessions around the country on policing in line with international human rights norms.
	We have made it clear in our contacts with the Government and Opposition in Bangladesh that there is no room for political violence in a democracy, and that we will be monitoring the role of the police and that of the military carefully during the election period.

Cyprus

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent contact the British high commission in Cyprus has had with Turkish Cypriots living in the south of Cyprus; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: While our high commission in Nicosia monitors the situation of Turkish Cypriots living in southern Cyprus, the regularity of contact has decreased since the opening of the Green Line. Freedom of movement across the island has now greatly increased, with over 10 million crossings since its opening in 2003, granting greater access to these communities by Turkish Cypriots in northern Cyprus. None the less, our high commission in Nicosia maintains contact with Cypriot civil society south of the Green Line, including Turkish Cypriots.

Cyprus

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the British high commission in Cyprus last visited enclaved Greek Cypriots living in the  (a) north of Cyprus and  (b) Karpas Peninsula; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: Prior to the opening of the Green Line, our high commission in Nicosia maintained frequent contact with Greek Cypriots living in northern Cyprus, including those in the Karpas Peninsula. Freedom of movement across the island has now greatly increased, with over 10 million crossings since its opening in 2003, granting greater access to these communities from Greek Cypriots south of the Green Line. Their interests are now protected by both the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) and representatives of the Cyprus Government. Our high commission in Nicosia no longer maintains the same frequency of contact, but does stay in touch with both the Cyprus Government and UNFICYP regarding the situation. A representative of the high commission visited the UN Police Force in the Karpas to discuss the welfare of Greek Cypriots in northern Cyprus on 14 May 2006. A meeting with the community is planned to take place shortly.

Departmental Mail

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of her Department's mail is shipped using private companies; and what the cost was over the last 12 months.

Geoff Hoon: Over the last 12 months the Foreign and Commonwealth Office shipped mail using the following companies:
	100 per cent. of UK mainland mail was shipped by the Royal Mail at an annual cost of £250,000,
	100 per cent. of overseas mail was despatched in the Diplomatic bag and shipped by our freight agent DHL Global Forwarding at an annual cost of approximately £2 million.
	In addition 100 per cent. of inter-Government mail was shipped using Government messenger services.

Democratic Republic of Congo Officials (UK Travel)

Eric Joyce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent advice her Department has offered to officials from the Democratic Republic of Congo planning to travel in the UK following the recent assault in London on Mr Okitundu, Chief of Staff to President Kabila.

Ian McCartney: We have offered no specific advice to visiting Congolese officials nor has any advice been requested. However, we have remained in contact on this issue with both the Democratic Republic of Congo Embassy in London and the Congolese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kinshasa. My noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, has written to President Kabila to underline our concern over this incident. We understand that police investigations are continuing.

Iraq

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps have been taken to prevent ammunition obtained from coalition forces' supplies reaching the black market in Iraq.

Kim Howells: UK forces' ammunition in Iraq is accessible only to UK personnel The Iraqi security forces (ISF) do not draw their ammunition from UK supplies. Thorough measures are in place to prevent any interference with UK ammunition supplies at all stages in the supply and distribution chain. These include secure containment with restricted access, regular patrols, and thorough auditing. There is no evidence of diversion or unauthorised removal of UK ammunition.
	The UK has gifted infrastructure, vehicles and other equipment, including ammunition, direct to the ISF, in order that they will be able to undertake security tasks with less recourse to Multi-National Forces (MNF). This has taken place under the auspices of project Osiris, which the House has been informed of prior to donations. Thorough measures are in place to avoid the possibility of diversion of this equipment, including checking and logging of stocks on arrival, UK military supervision of hand-over, and checking and recording the identification of recipients. After hand-over, the ISF take full responsibility for the security of equipment, although some routine inventory checks are subsequently still carried out by Multi-National Forces.
	Other members of coalition forces will have their own monitoring and security procedures in place.

Iraq

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will take steps to seek the establishment of an independent international body to monitor the levels of conflict-related mortality in Iraq; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The UN operates in Iraq and monitors the levels of violence and conflict-related deaths. The numbers of deaths cited in the UN Human Rights Reports are taken from Iraqi Ministry of Health figures. Maintaining records of civilian deaths in Iraq is ultimately a matter for the Government of Iraq and we believe they are best placed to monitor the situation. In many conflict situations it would be impossible to make a reliably accurate assessment either of the civilian casualties resulting from any particular attacks or of the overall civilian casualties of a conflict. This is true in the security conditions that exist in Iraq. It is unlikely that an independent body could gain better access than the Iraqi Ministries, including the Ministry of Health, which collates information from some 180 hospitals across the country.

Lebanon

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in what capacity she expects UK forces to serve as part of a United Nations peacekeeping operation in Lebanon.

Kim Howells: The UK provided HMS York to the UN-sponsored interim maritime task force in early September. This task force is due to be replaced by a follow-on force, under United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) command, on or around 15 October. We have also offered to provide support in other areas, including the use of our Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus, and provision of a naval logistician to assist the UN. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, the UK pays a premium contribution to the costs of UN operations. This year our contribution is expected to be approximately £16 million.

Lebanon

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with  (a) the UN,  (b) the Government of Lebanon,  (c) the Government of Israel and  (d) Hezbollah on the subject of unexploded ordnance in Lebanon as a result of the recent conflict, with particular reference to cluster munitions which failed to explode; and what monitoring has been undertaken of the situation.

Kim Howells: We have recently held official level discussions through our embassies in Beirut and Tel Aviv about unexploded ordnance with the Governments of Lebanon and Israel. We called on the Government of Israel to make a public statement about their use of cluster munitions in the recent conflict with Lebanon. We have not held any discussions with Hezbollah on the issue. We plan to discuss the issue of cluster munitions with the UN shortly.
	We continue to be concerned about levels of unexploded ordnance and cluster munitions in south Lebanon. In response to the recent crisis in Lebanon the Department for International Development (DFID) has provided £205,000 to the British non-governmental organisation, Mines Advisory Group (MAG) for clearance of unexploded ordnance and has a commitment to provide a sum of £1 million to the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) for similar tasking.

Lebanon

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures are being taken by  (a) the UK and  (b) the rest of the EU to help the Lebanese armed forces achieve the capacity to effectively defend Lebanese sovereignty; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: Through its contribution to United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, (UNIFIL) the EU is supporting the Lebanese Government in extending their authority throughout the whole of Lebanese territory. EU member states comprise the bulk of troops deployed to UNIFIL acting under its new mandate. The UNIFIL mission is currently under French command. As a result of UNlFIL's efforts so far, the Lebanese army is now deployed in south Lebanon for the first time in 30 years.
	The other main area of EU involvement is on managing points of entry, where Germany has taken on a forward role in border, port and airport security. Germany deployed a team of consultants based at the airport to assist the Lebanese with their aviation security shortly after the conflict ended. It has offered advice and equipment to improve management of the Lebanon/Syria border. Germany has also taken on the task of supporting the Government of Lebanon with their maritime security under UNIFIL. This operation took over on 15 October from an interim maritime task force comprised of a number of international partners (UK, France, Italy, Greece) which had been carrying out monitoring off Lebanon's shores under an Italian lead. The UK deployed HMS York as part of this arrangement. The EU is also collectively exploring the options for providing enhanced border security and security sector assistance for the wider Lebanese security forces.
	The UK's contribution has been a commitment of £2.5 million for security sector assistance. There is currently a Ministry of Defence (MOD) minute before the house detailing UK proposals to supply the Lebanese with 50 vehicles. The MOD is also planning to provide counter-terrorism training and we are looking to identify the equipment and training needs of the security forces and co-ordinating donor responses. We have allocated £320,000 for counter-terrorism assistance in Lebanon, including training for border security, police capacity building and aviation security and assistance.

Lebanon

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response the UK Government have made to Iran's involvement in the conflict in the Lebanon.

Kim Howells: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary gave to the hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Mr. Moore) on 11 October 2006,  Official Report, columns 763-764W.

Middle East

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the proposed extension of the Temporary International Mechanism to deliver aid to the Palestinians; and when it is expected to take effect.

Hilary Benn: I have been asked to reply.
	On 20 September, the Quartet (EU, UN, US and Russia) met in New York and endorsed the continuation and expansion of the Temporary International Mechanism (TIM) for a three-month period, and agreed to again review the need for such a mechanism at the end of that period.
	The EU had already expanded the TIM in response to the G8 statement of 16 July. The scope was widened to include more of the poorest Palestinian Government workers. Workers in the medical sector, PA employees who earn less than 2,000 New Israeli Shekels a month, pensioners, and recipients of welfare from the Palestinian Ministry of Social Affairs have received allowances through the TIM. This totals 98,000 recipients. Their allowances help them to continue working and provide their families with a modest income, and help to inject money into the Palestinian economy.
	In the light of the serious humanitarian situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the EU is considering how further to expand the TIM. Officials discussed the issue in Brussels on 10 October. The plans currently under consideration would increase the number of recipients of TIM allowances considerably while maintaining the rigorous auditing procedures that have been applied so far. The World Bank is expected to provide support for the water, sanitation and electricity sectors and to deliver essential medical supplies in November.
	As I reported to the House on 9 October, the UK has committed a total of £9 million to the TIM. Of this, £3 million is for allowances to the poorest Palestinian Government workers, £3 million is for essential medical supplies and £3 million is for water, sanitation and electricity. I intend to allocate a further £3 million to the TIM as the need for further funding arises. This is in addition to the UK's contribution to European Community support. European Community support for the Palestinians in 2006 totals more than €340 million. This is considerably more than the European Community has given on average in recent years.

Ministerial Visits

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 9 October 2006,  Official Report, column 444W, on ministerial visits, how many claims of expenses of more than £100 have been  (a) submitted and  (b) checked against departmental guidelines in each of the last two years; how many have been found to be non-compliant; and how many people have been disciplined as a result.

Geoff Hoon: Our records show that since October 2005 we have received 4,840 claims for amounts of £100 or more from Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff, and checked them against departmental guidelines. Before that date, our records do not distinguish between claims over or under £100 in value. We are aware of one officer who submitted a claim in this period that did not meet the guidelines. Following an internal investigation we recovered the appropriate monies from the officer.

Pakistan

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the recent agreement between the Pakistani authorities and militants in North Waziristan; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The results of the Jirga process in North Waziristan were announced shortly before my last visit to Pakistan at the beginning of September. The senior officials of the North West Frontier Province were optimistic that tribal structures would be able to deliver effective implementation. We are watching this carefully.

Public Servant Training

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will list the programmes funded by the EU to train public servants of the new EU accession countries.

Geoff Hoon: Twinning and Taiex (Technical Assistance and Information Exchange Instrument) are the main programmes funded by the EU providing practical assistance to support reform within the public administrations of new accession countries.
	Twinning involves the secondment of public sector experts from EU member States to new accession countries as well as candidate and potential candidate countries, for periods from around six months to three years. It supports priority reforms through projects identified by the beneficiary country. Projects typically include training and capacity building for public servants as well as support for changes in policy and practices. Taiex provides technical expertise from EU member states for short assignments.
	The UK is an active participant in both Twinning and Taiex in new accession countries.

Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations her Department has received on the case of Bangladeshi journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has received the hon. Member's letter on this case. I have also received a letter about the same case from my hon. Friend the Member for Finchley and Golders Green (Dr. Vis). I shall send replies to both letters shortly.

Sri Lanka

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the extent to which non-governmental organisations have suffered threats, harassment and violence in Sri Lanka.

Kim Howells: It is clear that humanitarian agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) operating in the north and east of Sri Lanka face pressures in different forms, from different sources, that hamper their ability to operate effectively. Our high commission in Colombo has maintained a regular dialogue with the humanitarian agencies and NGOs on the difficulties they have been facing. The UK, together with EU and international partners, has raised these concerns in strong terms with the Sri Lankan Government, urging them and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to guarantee free and safe access by relief agencies to the people and areas affected. The Sri Lankan Government have a responsibility to recognise, support and promote the valuable contribution these organisations are making in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the report of the Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission implicating Sri Lankan Government forces in the deaths of aid workers in Muttur.

Kim Howells: We are seriously concerned by the findings of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) on recent incidents, including the killings of the Action Contre le Faim aid workers at Muttur. The SLMM has attributed serious human rights violations to all parties to the conflict. It is essential to establish the truth behind these allegations; we support all efforts to do so. It is vital that investigations are thorough and credible and provide a proper basis, where necessary, for due legal process. We therefore welcome the agreement of the Australian Government to provide forensic technical assistance for the Muttur investigation. We also welcome President Rajapakse's initiative for a national commission to inquire into recent killings, disappearances and abductions in Sri Lanka and for a panel of international observers to oversee the process.

Sri Lanka

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission since the expulsion of monitors from EU member states by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

Kim Howells: We fully support the efforts of the Norwegian Government as facilitators of the peace process, and in particular their efforts over recent months to ensure the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission's (SLMM) continued to operate. We remain in close contact with the Norwegians.
	Even following the withdrawal of individuals who happened to be citizens of EU states the SLMM, with reduced numbers of personnel from Norway and Iceland, remains a vital part of the peace process. The SLMM works fairly effectively out of a headquarters in Colombo, six district offices and a liaison office in Killinochchi, and through mobile units operating in the north and east of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when she last met representatives of the Sri Lankan Government to discuss the human rights of the Tamil people.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not discussed this issue with the Sri Lankan Government. The most recent Cabinet Minister to do so was my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, who visited Colombo for the Commonwealth Finance Ministers meeting, and who raised our concerns on human rights with President Rajapakse on 12 September. Our high commissioner in Colombo and senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials discussed these issues with the Sri Lanka Minister for Human Rights, Mahinda Samarasinghe, on 29 September.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will take steps to overcome the delays experienced by those trying to obtain visas for a visit to Sudan; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: We regularly raise the issue of visas with the Government of Sudan, including where appropriate making representations on individual cases. The Government of Sudan has agreed to fast-track visa applications and travel permits for all agencies and personnel involved in humanitarian efforts in Darfur, There are sometimes problems in the implementation of this. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development raised this with the Government of Sudan when he visited Khartoum on 16 October.

Sudan

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the Government of Sudan about  (a) religious freedom and  (b) anti-Semitism in Sudan.

Ian McCartney: We are deeply concerned about religious freedom, and other human rights issues, in Sudan. We welcomed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) of January last year, signed by the Government of Sudan, which clearly states that everyone in Sudan shall have the right to freedom of religion. The CPA provides for a Special Commission to ensure the protection of the rights of non-Muslims. We are pressing the Government of Sudan to establish this Commission, as well as to implement all other provisions of the CPA. While there is no substantial Jewish community in Sudan, we have urged the Sudanese leadership to end inflammatory rhetoric.

Sudan

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the comments by the President of Sudan that  (a) Jewish organisations are responsible for mobilising international criticism of Sudan about the conflict in Darfur and  (b) plans for a UN force are part of a plan to recolonise Sudan.

Ian McCartney: We reject any suggestion that international efforts in Darfur are motivated by anything other than a desire to end the suffering of the local population and we further reject any allegation that any religious community has mobilised unjustified criticism. With 1.9 million people still in camps, over 3.5 million in need of international aid and attacks, killings and rape a daily occurrence, the situation in Darfur is appalling. The international community has a moral obligation to act in the interests of the people of Darfur and will do so. We are pressing all sides to stop the fighting and implement the peace agreement.
	The Government of Sudan should also agree to a UN force in Darfur. It is not true that this would violate Sudan's sovereignty. The African Union itself has consistently called for a UN mission in Darfur. The international community has made clear its full respect for Sudan's sovereignty and territorial integrity. A UN force would be in Darfur to help implement the peace agreement and restore peace and security so that people can begin to rebuild their lives.

Sudan

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the extent of the use of child soldiers in the conflict in Darfur.

Ian McCartney: In September 2006, a UN panel of experts reported the recruitment of child soldiers by parties to the conflict in Darfur. Recruitment of child soldiers is a breach of international humanitarian law and explicitly prohibited by article 24 of the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA). We have regularly made clear to the Government of Sudan that we expect them to uphold the commitments they have made under, in particular, the convention on the rights of the child and its optional protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict. We have also told the Sudan Liberation Army and Justice and Equality Movement that the recruitment and use of child soldiers is wholly unacceptable and in contravention of its obligations under the Abuja Security protocol of 8 November 2004, which commits both movements and the Government to stop recruiting children as combatants.

Tom Hurndall

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance her Department is providing to the family of Tom Hurndall in persuading the Israeli authorities to negotiate over the outstanding claim.

Kim Howells: I understand that the Hurndall family is pursuing a private compensation claim. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office cannot get involved in negotiations for compensation, but has raised the case of Tom Hurndall with the Israeli Government on many occasions.

Tom Hurndall

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when she last raised the case of the killing of Tom Hurndall with the Israeli authorities; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary last raised the case of Tom Hurndall with the Israeli Foreign Minister on 12 June. The Attorney-General has also been in contact with the Israeli Attorney-General about the case.

Tom Hurndall

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials from her Department last met the family of Tom Hurndall; and what actions she has taken in the last four months in response to the family's requests.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary last met the family of Tom Hurndall on 6 July. The Foreign Secretary and the family agreed to wait for an Israeli response to my noble and learned Friend the Attorney-General's requests for information in May before considering possible next steps.